Andrés Cubas #14

Profile

Cubas is often underestimated – which perhaps comes with being a 1.66m defensive midfielder – but when he is on the pitch he proves his value to everyone. He is Paraguay’s heart and lungs, running, jostling, winning back possession. This will not be his first World Cup - he played the Under-20 version in 2015 for Argentina, the land of his birth - but his true allegiance was always clear. “I was born in Argentina but since my father and all of his family were from Paraguay, I grew up with their customs,” he said. Cubas came through the youth system at Boca Juniors, making his debut at 17, and has since had spells in Italy, France and now Canada, having joined Vancouver in 2022. He missed Paraguay’s two friendlies last November because his passport was in the pocket of his trousers when they went in the wash, and was unusable (if clean) by the time it came out.

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