Juan Guillermo Cuadrado joins Inter

Experience and plenty of desire to win and enjoy himself: these are the main traits of Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, who was born in Necoclí on 26 May 1988.

Juan’s childhood was marked by difficulties, with the young Cuadrado helping his mother pack the fruit she sold at the market. His desire to stand out, however, led him to seek joy and happiness in the world of football.

At the age of 13, he became part of Atletico Urabà’s youth setup. There, he played as a striker and became the team’s leading scorer, after which Nelson Gallego, the club’s founder, suggested he move out wide.

Nicknamed “Vespa”, Cuadrado transformed into a winger with great technical ability. He is excellent in one-on-one situations, an attribute he worked on non-stop at Independiente Medellín, where he made his professional debut. He then made the move to Italy, more specifically Udine, and played 24 matches in two years for Udinese, helping the Friulani achieve a historic Champions League qualification in his second season.

Having improved under Francesco Guidolin, he signed for Lecce in 2011 and excelled in Apulia, thus catching the eye of Fiorentina.

The Colombian spent two and a half seasons in Tuscany before heading to London, where, with Chelsea, he won the first trophies of his career: the League Cup and Premier League in 2014/15.

However, Cuadrado struggled for playing time in England and moved to Juventus, where he went on to win eleven trophies in eight years.

The fifth Colombian in Inter’s history, Cuadrado has made 115 appearances for his country, with only David Ospina ahead of him in this regard.

Technique, versatility and reliability: Juan is ready for a new, Nerazzurri, adventure.

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