Juan Cuadrado

Juan Guillermo Cuadrado Bello (born 26 May 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Colombia national team.

He usually plays on the right side of the pitch, either as a winger, full-back or wing-back.

He is known for his direct style of play, including his pace (both on and off the ball) as well as his dribbling skills.

He was eventually signed by Medellin in 2008, allowing him to return to the first division.

That year, Cuadrado made his senior professional debut against Boyacá Chicó, a match in which he would also score his first goal.

Having begun his career at Independiente Medellín, Cuadrado moved to Italy in 2009 to join Udinese.

Cuadrado remained in Medellin until 2009, before making the leap to European football.

On 2 July 2009, Cuadrado signed with Serie A club Udinese on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

He played his first match for Udinese in a 2–1 win against Chievo as a right wing back.

Cuadrado, however, was not given many first-team minutes for the rest of the season, and he would be sent on loan to fellow Serie A side Lecce.

Cuadrado made his senior international debut in 2010, and has since earned over 110 caps.

Used sparingly at the club, he was loaned to Lecce for the 2011–12 season, where despite relegation from Serie A, his performances earned a transfer to Fiorentina.

He was part of the Colombian squads which took part at five editions of the Copa América (2011, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021), reaching the quarter-finals on three occasions, and contributing to their third-place finishes in 2016 and 2021; Cuadrado also represented his nation at two editions of the FIFA World Cup, in 2014 and 2018.

Born in Necoclí, Cuadrado first form of football development wasn't until his mother suggested him the idea at the age of 12, joining Manchester F.C. Apartadó, a youth academy located in Apartadó, Antioquia.

Consequently, his notable performances allowed him to join the youth setup of Deportivo Cali after impressing their scouts.

Cuadrado later joined Atlético Uraba, where his preferred position was as a forward.

However, on the recommendation of club founder Nelson Gallego, Cuadrado took on a midfielder role, usually as a winger.

Cuadrado's confidence and ability in the position also allowed him to play occasionally as a full-back or wing-back.

He later had a brief spell at Colombian second division club Rionegro, where he languished on the bench under coach Víctor González Scott, but his potential was later recognized by manager Juan José Peláez of Independiente Medellín.

On 3 August 2011, it was officially confirmed that Cuadrado would join Lecce for the 2011–12 season.

He scored his first goal for the club against Cesena, the sole goal in a 1–0 victory.

On 23 July 2012, Cuadrado completed his move to Fiorentina, initially in a temporary deal for a €1 million transfer fee.

He scored his first goal for the Florence club in a 4–1 victory at home against Cagliari.

He finished the season with five goals and six assists, an integral part of a side that finished fourth in Serie A.

In June 2013, La Viola purchased half of the registration rights of Cuadrado for €5 million.

On 11 February 2014, Cuadrado scored Fiorentina's second goal of a 2–0 Coppa Italia semi-final second leg victory over his former club Udinese, securing La Viola a 3–2 aggregate victory and a spot in the final.

He was booked after scoring the winning goal, and suspended for the final, which his team lost 1–3 to Napoli on 3 May.

On 16 June 2014, amid media speculation of a move to a larger club by the player, Fiorentina agreed a deal to purchase full ownership of Cuadrado's contract from Udinese, for an additional €12 million.

While in Fiorentina's financial filing of year 2014, in the management report (Relazione sulla Gestione), Fiorentina declared the fee was €30 million.

Upon signing, Cuadrado said, "I am very happy and thankful for this opportunity I've been given. This is a great club and honestly it is like a dream to join the Chelsea family and to know that the manager (José Mourinho) believes in me. I'm happy."

His Fiorentina manager, Vincenzo Montella, stated, "It was a sale that had to be done. Cuadrado is a player that has always arrived with a smile and given everything to Fiorentina – I'm happy for him because he is going to a big club."

Mourinho commented that he was not in a "rush" for Cuadrado to fully showcase his abilities within a short time, as stated in an interview: "He needs time to adapt to the Premier League. I know Italy and I know the difference between Italy and England; his formation, his development, his experience – everything was in Italy."

Five days after signing, Cuadrado made his Chelsea debut after replacing Willian for the last ten minutes of a 2–1 win away against Aston Villa.

In February 2015, he was signed by Chelsea, but after playing sparingly, was loaned to Juventus for consecutive seasons, where he won successive Serie A and Coppa Italia titles.

On 2 February 2015, Premier League club Chelsea announced the signing of Cuadrado from Fiorentina on a four-and-a-half-year deal, for a reported initial fee of £23.3 million, which could potentially rise to £26.8 million; Mohamed Salah went the other way on loan.

He joined the club permanently in 2017, and added a third consecutive domestic double the following season, followed by a two more consecutive league titles and a Supercoppa Italiana over the next two seasons.

In June 2023, after deciding not to extend his contract with Juventus, Cuadrado signed for Inter Milan on a free transfer, agreeing to a one-year contract.

In spite of further impressive performances from Cuadrado, however, Lecce finished 18th and was relegated to Serie B.

He would then return to Udinese.

Around this time, he was watched by an unidentified English club who deemed that at 23 years he was too old to be signed by the club.