Juan Diego Gutierrez He’s one of the Peruvian players remembered by fans for the potential he showed in the early seasons of his career. “Guti” is one of those footballers who make it feel like it’s been decades since their debut, but they’re barely 30 years old. The former Universitario de Deportes has become something of an all-rounder after traversing various teams in Europe and Latin America and making brief stints in League 1 teams.
Although Juan Diego Gutiérrez has lost some media traces since leaving university, he has quietly been one of the Peruvians abroad who have done best on an individual level in recent years. The fine left winger excelled at newly promoted Sololá FC at the opening tournament in Guatemala in 2021, where Agref says he was the team’s revelation in the only year he was there. What happened to him afterwards?
YOU CAN SEE: He came to Peruvian football at the age of 21, years later he won the Copa Sudamericana and played at the World Cup
First Juan Diego Gutiérrez and his good years in football
Juan Diego Gutiérrez was educated in the subsidiary departments of the Universidad San Martín. He made his professional debut with the Saints on November 27, 2011, coming on in the 85th minute of Day 29 of Descentralizado in a 2-0 win over Cienciano. He only completed that game that year, but in 2012 he established himself as a left midfielder.
Gutiérrez contributed virtually all of San Martín’s minutes of play in 2012. As the data expired, he gained consistency and played 1,946 minutes in 31 games, scoring six goals. The following year he confirmed his description of a young revelation for which he started again until he was injured in the league and was replaced by Andy Polo. At the age of 22 he was in full promotion, had problems with the club in 2014 and did not play.
Juan Diego Gutiérrez had two very good seasons at San Martín in his early days. Photo: GLR archives
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The young Peruvian soccer player did not leave San Martín on good terms, but in 2015 he fulfilled his dream of playing for Universitario, a club he is a fan of. The difficulties of the previous year were no obstacle for “Guti” to establish himself as the undisputed starter on the left wing. He played in midfield along with Andy Polo and Edison Flores. Unfortunately, he was relegated as a substitute in 2016.
What happened to Juan Diego Gutierrez?
After losing his position at Universitario, Juan Diego Gutiérrez made his first move abroad when he joined Vejle Boldklub in the Danish first division. In this team he could not establish himself and only played eight games. In the same year followed a brief stint in Sweden’s second team with Gefle, where he started as a starter but ended the season as a substitute.
Juan Diego Gutiérrez played in Europe for the first time in 2017. Photo: Vejle Bold Club
From then on, “Guti” changed teams frequently. He played in Canada, Bolivia and Guatemala, rotating between them with temporary signings for Sport Boys, Sport Rosario, Carlos Stein and Unión Comercio. He had more continuity at Rosario, Stein and Canadian HFX Wanderers, but it was at the aforementioned Sololá that he really excelled, playing 3,439 minutes in 40 games and scoring four goals.
His adventure in Guatemalan football ended in relegation at the end of the season. As if not wanting to break the habit, Juan Diego Gutiérrez changed the scene again and played the second half of 2022 at UE Sant Julia in Andorra. A few weeks ago he posted on Instagram that he was training for his return after not playing for Deportivo Garcilaso and it wasn’t long in coming: today, at the age of 31, he became a reinforcement for Unión Huaral.