Jose Paolo Guerrero Gonzales was born on January 1st, 1984, in the province of Lima, Peru. He was only seven years old when he took his first steps in the world of football, in the lower divisions of "Club Alianza Lima". Over there, he would play together with his compatriot and great friend, Jefferson Farfán. During all their time playing in the lower divisions, Paolo and Jefferson formed a great duo, although they never shared a team in first division.
At the age of 17, he started wearing his national team's shirt, since he was playing in the lower divisions as well as in the 2004 Chile Pre-Olympic with under-23 players, where he scored 3 goals in 4 matches.
At 20, he made his debut in the national team, in a match against Bolivia. From then on, his bond with the ‘Blanquirroja' grew stronger. He was called up for the 2007 CONMEBOL Copa America, played in Venezuela, where he scored his first goal against Uruguay and managed to reach the quarterfinals.
Four years later, in the 2011 CONMEBOL Copa America Argentina, he reached third place, for being a key player in his team and scoring five goals in five matches. He was the top scorer in said tournament and was included in the list of 11 players for the ideal team within the competition. In the 2015 CONMEBOL Copa America, played in Chile, he became, once again, the top scorer of the championship alongside Eduardo Vargas, each having scored 4 goals. Once more, he won third place and was part of the ideal team of the tournament. The following year, he managed to score a goal in the CONMEBOL Copa America Centenario. However, his team said goodbye to the competition in the quarterfinals against Colombia.
In the 2019 CONMEBOL Copa America, with Paolo as the main reference and captain of the team, Peru managed to reach a new final, after 44 years. Although this time the team was the runner-up, Guerrero was again the top scorer of the tournament and placed himself in fifth place as the top historical scorer of the competition, with 14 goals. Without a doubt, since Guerrero began playing in the ‘Bicolor', the team achieved a quality in its game worthy of admiration.
Recap the best moments of the great Paolo Guerrero in the CONMEBOL Copa America. He is, undoubtedly, one of the best players of Peru national team in its entire history and one of the best forwards in the world.
Watch the highlights on YouTube
-Facts-
Paolo Guerrero is the top scorer of Peru national team, with 39 goals. Besides, he is the fifth historical scorer of the CONMEBOL Copa America, having scored 14 goals. He played in five editions of the Copa America: in 2007, 2011, 2015, 2016 and in 2019. In addition, in 2011, 2015 and 2019, he was the top scorer of the tournament and was included in the list of the 11 players for the ideal team of each competition.
