He former Barcelona Peruvian striker Hugo ‘Cholo’ Sotil He died this Monday at the age of 78, as reported by the Catalan club. Born in Ica on May 18, 1946, Sotil was considered one of the best South American players of his time and he stood out for being a skilled, elusive, brave and intuitive forward.
Coming from Municipal de Lima, in his first season as a Barça player he played all the games of the 1973-74 League, where he coincided with figures such as Cruyff, Rexach, Asensi and Marcial.
For a long time it was heard in the stands of the Camp Nou the chant “Cholooo, Cholooo!” sung in his honor. And he was the protagonist of an endearing anecdote that happened when Barça won the League at the Molinón. That April 7, 1974, Sotil called his mother from the locker room to tell her a phrase that went down in culé history: “Mommy, we’re champions!”
The following season, Sotil had a blank slate, since the signing of Johan Neeskens made it impossible for him to play until he obtained dual nationality, which took much longer than expected. Finally, in the 1975-76 season he was able to play official matches with Barça again, but he was no longer the same. In 1977 he signed for Alianza de Lima.
He On May 17, 1984, a tribute was paid to him at the Miniestadi with a veterans’ match between the 1974 team and a South American team. “Since I left Barça I was waiting for that moment. I like Barcelona, the kindness of its people, the affection of its fans“he declared at the conclusion of the match.
Decades later, on October 30, 2014, Sotil once again showed off his love for Barcelona from Lima: “All that love that the people of Barça gave me cannot be forgotten. The day I die, I hope they bury me with the Barcelona shirt“.
Last November, ‘Cholo’ Sotil visited what was always his home coinciding with the celebration events for the 125th anniversary of FC Barcelona.
#Cholo #Sotil #Peruvian #Barcelona #player #wanted #buried #Barça #shirt #dies
