Andy Baquero Ruiz (born 17 August 1994) is a Cuban professional footballer who plays for Vaughan Azzurri in League1 Ontario. He previously played for the Cuba national team and Cuba national futsal team until his defection in 2019. He plays as a midfielder and a right back.[1][2]
 Baquero with Valour in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andy Baquero Ruiz | ||
| Date of birth | 17 August 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Havana, Cuba | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Vaughan Azzurri | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2017 | La Habana | 26 | (7) |
| 2017 | Villa Clara | 9 | (0) |
| 2018 | La Habana | 6 | (1) |
| 2018 | Pinar del Río | (2) | |
| 2019 | La Habana | (3) | |
| 2019 | Delfines del Este | 9 | (3) |
| 2021–2023 | Valour FC | 74 | (2) |
| 2024– | Vaughan Azzurri | 17 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | Cuba U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2012–13 | Cuba U20 | 13 | (1) |
| 2014 | Cuba U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2014–2019 | Cuba | 29 | (5) |
| 2016–2019 | Cuba (futsal) | ||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 1, 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 June 2021 | |||
Early life
editIn his youth, Baquero did karate and later baseball, before switching to football at age nine.[3][4]
Club career
editBaquero began his professional career at 18 with La Habana, where he played six seasons across two stints, while also having brief tenures with Villa Clara and Pinar del Río.[5][6]
In 2019, he was granted permission to leave Cuba and go to the Dominican Republic where he went on trial with Atlántico FC, before signing with played with Delfines del Este of the Liga Dominicana de Fútbol for a half season,[7] scoring three goals and adding two assists in nine appearances.[8] He had previously received an offer from A.D. Chalatenango of the Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador on a ten month contract, however, it was rejected by the Football Association of Cuba, due to concerns about the intermediary who sent the offer.[9] In total, he had 4 contract offers that were rejected.[10]
After his defection from Cuba to Canada, he began to work in construction,[11] but also began to train with Vaughan Azzurri of League1 Ontario and was set to join them for their 2020 season, however, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][12] Ahead of the 2021 season, he went on trial with Canadian Premier League side Valour FC.[13] In June 2021, Baquero signed with the club.[14][15][16] In his first season, he made 23 appearances for the side, playing the fourth-most minutes on the team.[17] In January 2022, he re-signed with the club.[18][19] Although the club had held a club option on his contract for 2022, they agreed to a new contract to retain him for 2023 as well.[20]
International career
editBaquero has played in the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship, 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. In June 2015, he scored a goal in a friendly hosted in Cuba against North American Soccer League club team New York Cosmos.[21][22]
In 2016, he was recruited to join the Cuba national futsal team.[23]
On 7 September 2019, following a match in Toronto, Canada in the 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League against Canada, Baquero defected from Cuba along with teammate Alejandro Portal and settled in Canada.[24][25] As a result of his defection, he would be banned from representing the national team and from returning to Cuba (where the rest of his family was) for eight years until 2027.[5] In November 2023, he was able reunite with his mother, who he had been unable to see due to his defection, when she came to Canada.[26][27]
Personal life
editBaquero is also a musician, releasing music under his stage name AB2.[28][29] In 2020, he was nominated by the Latin Awards Canada for the Breakthrough Artist of the Year in Canada.[30] At the 2022 Latin Awards Canada, his song "Garantizo" was nominated in the Best Urban Pop Fusion Song and Best Music Video categories (winning the Best Urban Pop Fusion Song honour).[31]
Career statistics
editInternational goals
edit- Scores and results list Cuba's goal tally first.[32]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 29 August 2018 | Wildey Astro Turf, Bridgetown, Barbados |  Barbados |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 8 September 2018 | Estadio Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba |  Turks and Caicos Islands |
3–0 | 11–0 | 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League qualification |
| 3. | 5–0 | |||||
| 4. | 29 September 2018 | Estadio Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba |  Cayman Islands |
?–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 5. | 25 February 2019 | Estadio Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba |  Bermuda |
?–? | 2–2 | Friendly |
References
edit- ^ López, José Luis (3 December 2015). "Andy, un «vaquero» de contención" [Andy, a containment "cowboy"]. Juventud Rebelde (in Spanish).
- ^ Bernacki, Joseph (13 July 2021). "'A really handy player to have': Versatile defender Baquero making huge contribution to Valour FC's success". Winnipeg Free Press.
- ^ Grenier Rodriguez, Eduardo (26 June 2019). "Andy Baquero: futbolista, músico… ¿y loco?" [Andy Baquero: soccer player, musician... and crazy?]. Medium (in Spanish).
- ^ Medina Bonilla, Darien (13 June 2020). "Andy Baquero, y el sueño es ser profesional" [Andy Baquero, and the dream is to be a professional]. DeporCuba (in Spanish).
- ^ a b "'Soccer changed my life': Andy Baquero and a Cuban soccer dream". OneSoccer. 20 June 2022.
- ^ Jacques, John (26 June 2021). "Valour FC Signs Cuban International Andy Baquero". Northern Tribune.
- ^ a b Bomek, Cody (20 June 2021). "Andy Baquero's dream comes true as he joins Eikon Sports Group". Eikon Sports.
- ^ Tait, Ed (26 June 2021). ""Despite all his professional experience he came in with a hunger to prove himself"". Valour FC.
- ^ Ramírez Tápanes, Alexander (2 August 2019). "Fútbol cubano: contratos frustrados por la inoperancia" [Cuban soccer: contracts frustrated by ineffectiveness]. OnCuba News (in Spanish).
- ^ "Andy Baquero: yo tenía el sueño de ser jugador profesional y en Cuba no iba a poder lograrlo" [Andy Baquero: I had the dream of being a professional player and in Cuba I was not going to be able to achieve it]. Sport Blog (in Spanish). 18 April 2020.[dead link]
- ^ Morales Marquez, Henry (9 June 2023). "Andy Baquero: "Me fugué del Hotel con la camiseta del juego, la billetera y el teléfono"" [Andy Baquero: “I escaped from the hotel with the game jersey, wallet and phone”]. All in 1 Desportes (in Spanish).
- ^ Ramírez, Alexander (26 June 2021). "Andy Baquero regresa al fútbol profesional y firma con el Valour FC" [Andy Baquero returns to professional football and signs with Valour FC]. Playoff Magazine (in Spanish).
- ^ Jacques, John (21 June 2021). "Cuban International Andy Baquero Set For CPL". Northern Tribune.
- ^ "Valour FC signs midfielder Andy Baquero". Valour FC. 26 June 2021.
- ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (26 June 2021). "Valour FC signs Cuban midfielder Andy Baquero". Canadian Premier League.
- ^ "Andy Baquero firma con el Valour FC" [Andy Baquero signs with Valour FC]. Futbol de Cuba (in Spanish). 26 June 2021.
- ^ O'Connor-Clarke, Charlie (24 January 2022). "Andy Baquero and Federico Peña return to Valour FC". Canadian Premier League.
- ^ "Valour FC re-sign fullbacks Federico Peña and Andy Baquero". Valour FC. 24 January 2022.
- ^ Jacques, John (24 January 2022). "Valour Re-Signs Full-Backs Pena And Baquero". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Tait, Ed (24 January 2022). ""They are two guys from the get-go that we knew we wanted back." - Peña, Baquero return for 2022". Valour FC.
- ^ Flores Aldana, Omar (9 July 2015). "Andy Baquero, Cuba cambia su paradigma" [Andy Baquero, Cuba changes its paradigm]. Excélsior (in Spanish).
- ^ "El defensa de la selección cubana de fútbol quiere jugar en el extranjero" [The defender of the Cuban soccer team wants to play abroad]. Radio y Televisión Martí (in Spanish). 9 July 2015.
- ^ Castellanos, Yosel M. (5 October 2016). "Andy Baquero Ruiz: A passion for soccer". Granma.
- ^ Ebro, Jorge; González, Pedro J. (11 September 2019). "Tres cubanos más escapan en torneo de CONCACAF y ya suman cinco los que abandonan el equipo" [Three more Cubans escape in the CONCACAF tournament and there are already five who leave the team]. El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish).
- ^ Jacques, John (24 April 2024). "Former Cuba Internationals Set To Face Toronto FC In Stadium Where 'New Life' Began". Northern Tribune.
- ^ Hernandez, Jose Adrian (20 November 2023). "4 años después: Futbolista cubano Andy Baquero abrazó a su madre en Canadá" [4 years later: Cuban soccer player Andy Baquero hugged his mother in Canada]. Swing Completo (in Spanish).
- ^ Orozco, Mateo (21 November 2023). "Futbolista cubano, Andy Baquero, se reencuentra con su madre después de cuatro años" [Cuban soccer player, Andy Baquero, reunites with his mother after four years]. Cubanos por el mundo (in Spanish).
- ^ Gil, Gian Franco (30 September 2020). "Andy Baquero, un futbolista y cantante que sueña ser jugador profesional" [Andy Baquero, a soccer player and singer who dreams of being a professional player]. Playoff Magazine (in Spanish).
- ^ Contreras, Michel (15 April 2021). "Futbolista cubano Andy Baquero en El Francotirador: "A mí me obligaron a irme"" [Cuban soccer player Andy Baquero in El Francotirador: "They forced me to leave"]. CiberCuba (in Spanish).
- ^ "Futbolista cubano Andy Baquero, ¡nominado al Latin Awards Canadá!" [Cuban soccer player Andy Baquero, nominated for the Latin Awards Canada!]. Playoff Magazine (in Spanish). 1 December 2020.
- ^ González Betancourt, Brenda (23 April 2024). "Lo que le han enseñado el fútbol y el rap al cubano Andy Baquero" [What soccer and rap have taught Cuban Andy Baquero]. Diario de Cuba (in Spanish).
- ^ "Baquero, Andy". national-football-teams.com. National Football Teams. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
External links
edit- Andy Baquero at National-Football-Teams.com
- Andy Baquero at Soccerway