The underdogs are making a big splash in Chile.
Any football fans that are complaining about a lack of quality action over the summer months should be pointed towards the Copa America.
There has been some wonderful action on the pitch already as the tournament enters the latter stages.
Argentina against Colombia is a mouth-watering tie while Brazil’s title-winning credentials will face a tough examination from Paraguay.
Two teams that are already in the semi-finals are hosts Chile and the little fancied Peru.
Peru striker Paolo Guerrero has caught the eye and here are some things that you need to know about him.
Why are people talking about him?
Relative football minnows Peru have only won the Copa America twice before in their history and they’re going to need the Flamengo striker to continue his goalscoring form if they plan on causing a serious upset.
Guerrero scored an impressive hat-trick in Los Incas 3-1 win against Bolivia in the quarter-finals and he’ll be looking to keep this form going.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FzN3JeHfq8
The name seems familiar to me. Has he played in Europe before?
Yes he has. The Peruvian striker is a product of the Bayern Munich academy and ultimately broke through into the first team during 2004-05 season.
During his two seasons with Bayern he found the back of the net 10 times in 27 league appearances but the most productive period of his career was with Hamburg.
Didn’t Martin Jol manage Hamburg? They were a decent side.
The Peruvian spent six years at Hamburg and was instrumental in establishing them in the top tier of the Bundesliga. Hamburg qualified for the 2005-06 Champions League and they reached consecutive semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and the 2008–09 DFB-Pokal semi-final also.
At the club, he would have played alongside Rafael Van Der Vaart, Nigel De Jong, Ivica Olic and Vincent Kompany.
What’s his strike-rate in international football like?
Very impressive. 19 goals in 49 appearances for Peru isn’t bad considering the relative minnows have Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay to contend with in World Cup qualifying.
Aged 31, it seems that any European side will have to spend big money on him because he has just agreed to join Flamengo from their rivals in Sao Paolo, Corinthians.
Anything else to know?
He scored the goal for Corinthians that beat Chelsea in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup. He also gained a bit of notoriety for throwing a drinks bottle into the crowd and hitting a fan in the face during his time at Hamburg.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
