Alianza prepare Sotil's farewell, “talent, dedication and love for the sport”

The coffin carrying the remains of former footballer Hugo ‘Cholo’ Sotil arrived on Monday at the Estadio Alejandro Villanueva in the Peruvian capital, home of the Alianza Lima club, for his wake with the family and where Peruvian fans will come to pay their last respects.

The coffin carrying Sotil's remains entered the stadium amid a group of fans who came wearing the blue and white shirt of Alianza, one of the Peruvian teams in which the former midfielder of the Peruvian national team and Barcelona played.

The fans welcomed the ‘Cholo’ with chants and cheers. The ex-footballer passed away on Monday at the age of 75 in Lima. Sotil will be remembered as "an example of talent, dedication and love of sport," the Peruvian government said.

At Barcelona, he formed one of the best-remembered forwards alongside Dutchman Johan Cruyff. In the 1973-1974 season, they inflicted a 5-0 thrashing on Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.

The player joined the Catalan club from Deportivo Municipal de Lima and, in his first season as a 'Cule', played every game in the 1973-1974 Liga. The former striker took part, on 29 November, in the gala held at the Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona for Barça's 125th anniversary, an occasion on which he declared himself happy to have returned ‘home’.

 

December 30, 2024