MADRID, Spain.- Cuban goalkeeper Leonardo Hierrezuelo, 22, escaped from the national futsal team while he was in Spain, where the team is preparing for the 2024 World Cup in Uzbekistan. The news, confirmed this Tuesday by journalist Andy Lans in their social networks.
Hierrezuelo, originally from Havana, had been the team’s substitute goalkeeper during the 2024 Nicaragua Futsal Pre-World Cup. Despite his youth, his career in futsal is outstanding: he began to excel in the sport at the age of 16 and, at 20, he already had important titles such as double provincial champion with Old Havana, national champion with Havana and champion at the Caribbean Games with the Cuban under-23 team.
With the departure of Hierrezuelo, the Cuban team is left with only one goalkeeper, Kevin Rueda from Sancti Spiritus.
This “defection” follows that of Harold Aguilera, who less than a week ago fled the team during his stay in Viseu, Portugal, after a friendly match against Ukraine. Both departures further complicate the outlook for the Cuban team, which has already suffered heavy defeats in its recent friendlies: it lost 9-0 against Portugal, 7-0 against Ukraine and 4-1 against Costa Rica.
The Cuban team, which secured its participation in the World Cup in Uzbekistan last April, is in the final stretch of its preparation. According to the information provided by the official pressAfter their stay in the Spanish town of Huelva, where they will face second and third division clubs, the team will travel to Jaén to complete their training before leaving for Uzbekistan on September 9. The World Cup will be held from September 14 to October 6 in Tashkent.
