Piero Alva

Alva got his start in Universitario de Deportes as a youth. He got his break in 1998 when Oswaldo Piazza decided to promote several teenage players to the main line-up of the team, particularly after the team had secured the Apertura cup and thus a place in the final game. This generation of players included Manuel Barreto, Mario Gómez, Jorge Araujo, Anthony Matellini, Luis Cordero, Oswaldo Carrion, Francisco Bazán, among others. Alva's debut was in the 2nd half of a game against classic rival Sporting Cristal, a match that Universitario lost. However, Universitario won the 1998 tournament. Alva continued getting chances, despite his controversial playing style; he showed much skill but often did not know when to let go of the ball. It was enough to get him called to the U-20 Peru national team. By 2000, with the departure of Mauro Cantoro and Roberto Farfan from the team, Alva entered the starting eleven. He formed a powerful striking duo playing alongside Eduardo Esidio, aiding him to score the record number of goals in Peruvian football history (and the 2nd highest number of goals by any player worldwide that year) while scoring many of his own – 17 in the Peruvian tournament and one in the Copa Merconorte – and leading Universitario to their historic third championship in a row, capturing both the Apertura and Clausura titles. He was called to join the Peru national football team. In 2001 Alva was among a legion of star players of Universitario that demanded a…