A former Barcelona prospect who retired at just 32 is now living a totally different life.
The name Isaac Cuenca may not mean much to those other than die-hard Barcelona supporters, but his story is one worth learning about.
Cuenca came through Barcelona’s famous ‘La Masia’ academy after spells with Espanyol, Reus and Damm.
The winger was often compared to Pedro Rodriguez, who enjoyed a successful stint at Barcelona before representing clubs such as Chelsea and currently Lazio, due to their similar playing styles.
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Cuenca, then 20, was given his official first team debut by Pep Guardiola in the final minutes of Barcelona’s 2-0 home win against Viktoria Plzen in the 2011/12 Champions League group stage back in October 2011.
Just under two weeks later, he netted his first senior goal in a 5-0 win over RCD Mallorca. And despite having a seemingly perfect start to life as a professional, things quickly went wrong for the Spanish winger.
He spent a large portion of the 2012/23 campaign recovering from a knee injury before he was loaned to Ajax in January 2013.
But Cuenca’s time in Amsterdam was one to forget, as after just five appearances, he suffered another knee injury in March of 2013, keeping him out until October that year.
And despite having a promising start to his career at Barca, he made a permanent transfer to Deportivo La Coruna in July of 2014.
Due to several more setbacks, including injuries and loss of form, the left-footed winger’s career did not play out as he may have expected.
Following his departure from Deportivo in 2015, spells at Bursaspor, Granada and Israeli outfit Hapoel Be’er Sheva followed, as well as a stint in Japan where he played for Sagan Tosu and Vegalta Sendai, but he could never put together a sustained run of form.
Then, in April 2021, Cuenca announced his retirement at the age of 32.
Two years later, the former winger opened up about his struggles in an interview with RAC1, describing how he had “six knee operations” for the “same reason”.
"Football destroyed me, but I have been reborn,” Cuenca said.
In another interview with ARA, he revealed how he has become involved with Cold2Sport, a company with expertise dedicated to "efficient thermal recovery solutions for muscle prevention, recovery, and hydration".
Cuenca is listed as a co-founder on the company’s website, which uses the same technology used to cool wine to help recovery from excessive exercise.
The company’s garments include shorts and pants, which are “designed to support two key areas in the sports field: post-match muscle recovery and hydration at optimal temperatures”.
Topics: Barcelona, Football, La Liga, Spain, Football News
Luke Davies