ISaac Cuenca was one of those brilliant irruptions that football gives from time to time. A fine, technical, daring end, I left the most prolific quarry in the world: La Masía.Debuted with the first FC Barcelona team of Pep Guardiola in a golden agewhen the Catalans won everything and seemed invincible. He had the self -confidence of a youth and the endorsement of having convinced the most demanding technician of the moment. But football, like life, does not always follow the expected script.
Today, when your name is mentioned, Many wonder what was of that electric end that promised to inherit the Camp Nou band. His career, marked by a series of risky decisions, inopportune injuries and exotic stages, tHe spent prematurely on April 20, 2021. He was only 29 years old.
The irruption in Barça de Guardiola
Isaac Cuenca officially debuted with Barça's first team on October 21, 2011, in a league match against Granada. He was 20 years old and an educated left -hander who excited the Catalans. His style of play remembered that of the classic ends: attached to the band, incomer, always looking for the one. Guardiola did not hesitate to give him opportunities and soon began to add important minutes, even in Champions League. In total, he played 30 games that season and scored 4 goals.
Copa del Rey Party at Santiago Bernabeu Gol
He shared costumes with Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Puyol. However, the dream would soon begin to truncate. In May 2012, Cuenca suffers a serious right knee injury, which makes him out the pitch for eight months. With the arrival of Tito Vilanova, and after his injury, his prominence began to dilute, so the extreme chose to leave the culé painting.
A travel and obstacles race
After a assignment in Ajax in Amsterdam, where he could barely shine due to physical problems, and a new knee injury (meniscus), Cuenca found no place in Barça. He rescinded his contract in 2014 and began a team pilgrimage that evidenced his desire to reunite with football, even if he was far from the spotlights.
Played in him Deportivo de la Coruña, where he left flashes of his quality, and then in the Bursaspor Turkish. In 2016 he arrived at the Granada CFin a team that would end up descending. Cuenca failed to recover regularity, although it continued to demonstrate its refined technique.
Isaac Cuenca.
Without a place in the major European leagues, he decided to take less conventional paths. In 2017 he signed for Hapoel Be'er Sheva Israelí and then made the leap to Japanese football, where he found some stability in the Sagan Tosu.
The injuries turned off the flame
But his body never finished responding. The injuries, especially in his knee, chased him since his early years as a professional. On April 20, 2021, Cuenca announced its withdrawal from professional football.
Isaac Cuenca was one of those talents that time, injuries and circumstances did not let it shine at all. A player who had everything to succeed in Barcelona. Its history is a reminder that talent is not enough in football, luck, health and continuity is also needed.
