With the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season fast approaching, aleagues.com.au sat down with one of the competition’s most intriguing off-season signings; Peru international and the man tasked with filling Douglas Costa’s boots at Sydney FC, Piero Quispe.
Ivan Elias Moreno Stadium, Lima: March 22, 2021:
The above date and location might not be significant for football fans in Australia but for a young boy from the Barrio de Naranjal in Peru’s capital city of Lima, it means everything.
Coming off the bench with his side losing against Academia Cantolao in the Peruvian Primera Division, a young Piero Quispe fulfilled a lifelong ambition by pulling on the jersey of local club Universitario.
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Having grown up playing football in the streets of Lima and pretending to be players from ‘La U’, Quispe had now become one of them.
“My parents always told me I loved football from a young age,” said the new Sydney FC signing as he sat down to chat with aleagues.com.au.
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“I’d always go play outside with my ball. In my neighbourhood, there was a small court and a field, and I always loved playing there.
“Since I was little, I always loved football and thank God, I was able to debut for the team I always supported. But going abroad has been a dream. It was always the dream I had since I was a child.”
Like millions of young children all over South America, football is life and it certainly was no different for Quispe growing up in the bustling surrounds of one of Lima’s most densely populated neighbourhoods.
“I’m always grateful for that neighbourhood and I’ll always carry it in my heart. Playing with my friends, I always just loved playing football. In my neighbourhood, there was a little court and a field.”
And it’s on that little field where Quispe first began to develop the mindset and skillset that would put him on the path to becoming a professional football.
“I always liked to have the ball, to make my teammates play, to go forward. I’m a player who loves winning, and above all, that’s what defines me.
“I like having the ball whenever it comes to me, I like playing with my teammates, and I’m a player with a winning mentality. I like winning matches, winning titles, and I hope I can help my teammates, and that together we can win a title.”
Having already caught the eye whilst playing for Peru’s national youth teams, Quispe then did similar in the Peruvian top-flight and it wasn’t long before he was whisked away from his boyhood club, not before winning the Peruvian title in 2023 whilst also being named Player of the Year and also being named in the Team of the Year.
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It was around this time that Quispe first appeared on the radar of Sydney FC’s Head of Player Management, Alex Baumjohann, whose deep interest in South American football has led to him compiling extensive lists of some of the continent’s most talented young players – albeit Quispe certainly wasn’t a player the Sky Blues thought they could capture.
But more on that later.
At Pumas, things began well for Quispe and the attacking midfielder featured in plenty of matches for his new side from 2024 onwards.
However, the mercurially talented Peruvian never quite hit the heights of his time at Universitario and when push came to shove, as the Mexican outfit looked to shift one of their foreign players in a bid to make room for a new striker, Quispe was on the chopping block.
Enter Sydney FC.
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A phone call from Baumjohann to the Pumas hierarchy quickly resulted in Sydney pitching to take the Peruvian on loan, thus freeing up a visa spot for the Mexican side to sign their new striker.
After countless late-night conversations, the deal was eventually agreed and the Sky Blues had their man, and it’s someone Baumjohann believes could go on to be one of Peru’s greatest ever footballers.
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“It wasn’t a decision I made on my own – Pumas and I reached a good agreement for me to come on loan,” said Quispe.
“The opportunity came, and I didn’t hesitate: I came here wanting to give my best.
“You have to be prepared for anything that can happen. It was difficult, because in Mexico… I was already used to life there. My daughter is Mexican, my partner too, and we were already settled.
“Changing countries overnight is part of our career, and I take it in stride. Why not? I felt I was doing things well. As I’ve said, it wasn’t my decision to come here — it was Pumas’.
“But I took it positively, and we had a good conversation because I still have a contract with them and belong to them. Then the opportunity with Sydney came, and I came here to give my best, to give everything I have, to help my teammates, and to do what the coach wants.”
Whilst head coach Ufuk Talay was on-board with the move, the real driving force behind the deal was Baumjohann, who in an interview with aleagues.com.au at the end of the recent transfer window claimed Quispe has the talent to be playing in one of Europe’s Top Five leagues.
“With Piero, he’s a player that I’m the most excited (about) since I’m here in this role, because I think he will not only give us success but also a lot of flair, and the fans will love him,” said Baumjohann of Quispe.
He added: “He’s a type of player that people pay money to watch him play in the stadium.”
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It’s fair to say those comments certainly didn’t fall on deaf ears. Now, the 12-time Peru international has the desire to repay the faith shown in him by Baumjohann.
“I’m very grateful to him because from the very first moment I spoke with him, he gave me confidence and made me want to come here,” he said.
“I won’t let him down – because he asked certain things of me, and I’m going to give everything I have to achieve them.”
An early issue the 24-year-old will have to overcome is the fact that he barely speaks a word of English, so much so that this interview was conducted in his native Spanish. However, the arrival of Spanish forward Victor Campuzano from Sporting Gijon will help the Peruvian settle into life in the Harbour City.
Not that he’s worried by the language barrier though. In fact, he’s embracing the challenge.
“Above all, it’s a different life – being in another country, with the time difference too,” said Quispe when asked how he’s adapting to life in Australia.
“On top of that, I also came here to learn English, because that helps me and also helps my teammates, so they can understand me, what they want, and how I can help them.
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“I think the most important thing is to learn English, and by listening to words little by little, they stick with me, and I’m learning step by step.
“The main thing, above all, is what’s asked of me on the field. For me, learning English is one of my goals, and I’ll study and see how long it takes me to pick it up. The important words, I mostly hear them during training, and they stick with me. That’s the basics. And little by little, it’s staying with me, and I’m starting to understand my teammates more.
“But coming here has been a big step in my career. I take it positively, and I think it’s mainly for the team, and for the country as well.
“It’s far, yes, but that’s part of being a footballer: going wherever you’re called to play.”
He continued: “For me, my family – now that I have my own family – is the most important thing in my life.
“My parents, my daughter, my wife, my grandparents, my siblings — they’re the most important part of my life. And for them, I give everything every day to improve, to see them doing well, and above all, to give them peace of mind.”
Quispe is in line to make his Sydney FC debut in Round 1 of the new Isuzu UTE A-League season, when the Sky Blues travel to Coopers Stadium to face Adelaide United on October 17.
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