Continuing our alphabetical world tour, next up is Cuba. One of the most complex nations from a sporting point of view as professional sport was banned by the Cuban government in 1961, with inconsistent applications of that law remaining today.
Despite the odds, one Cuban wrote his name into the history books in 2019 when he became the first to play in the Premier League. There is currently no option to filter for Cuban players on the Premier League’s player stats page, but we believe that this player is the only one to date.
First (and only) Player – Onel Hernandez (Norwich City; 2019-present)
Born in Cuba, Onel Hernandez moved to Germany as a six-year-old and rose through the ranks at several professional clubs before getting a senior break at Eintracht Braunschweig.
He was brought to England in January 2018 by Norwich City manager Daniel Farke, impressing as the Canaries won the Championship in 2018/19. He came on as a substitute in their first game of the 2019/20 season to become the first Cuban to play in the Premier League.
Despite appearing once for Germany’s under 18 side in 2010, he retained a desire to represent the country of his birth. Though the blanket ban of professional sport in Cuba has relaxed to the point where semi-professional boxing has since been integrated, Cuban football remains a far cry from the game as we know it.
In 2016, Maikel Reyes became the first player since before 1961 to play professional football with the backing of the Cuban government, when he joined a third-tier side in Mexico. The fact you would need governmental backing to play for your country may seem ludicrous, but Onel Hernandez does not have that backing and hence is not currently allowed to play for Cuba.
He was called up in 2018, but later informed that he would not be allowed to play. He was, however, allowed to travel, train and meet the players. Hopefully, someday soon, Onel Hernandez will be granted the honour of playing for Cuba.
Records
- Most Appearances – Onel Hernandez (17)
- First appearance – Onel Hernandez (Liverpool 4-1 NORWICH, August 9th 2019)
- Most goals – Onel Hernandez (1)
- First goal – Onel Hernandez (NORWICH 1-3 Man United, October 27th 2019)
Trivia
- Only one of Onel Hernandez’s 17 Premier League appearances resulted in a win (6D, 10L).
- Onel Hernandez played in German football for eight seasons, but never in the Bundesliga.
