Bernardo Cueva
Bernardo Cueva Martínez is a Mexican football coach who currently serves as a set-piece coach at Premier League club Chelsea. He has built a reputation in Europe for his tactical acumen and analytical approach to the game, particularly in dead-ball situations.
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Cueva pursued studies in applied mathematics and strategic planning, setting the foundation for his career as a technical analyst. Cueva previously worked with Guadalajara from 2017 to 2020, where he won the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League and participated in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup. He then was appointed in 2020 as a first team coach of Championship side Brentford, achieving promotion to the Premier League, then working with the [Norway national Association football|football team|Norway national team] also as a first team coach in 2021 simultaneously before leaving in 2022 to focus solely on his role with Brentford. In the 2024, he left Brentford and was appointed to fellow Premier League side Chelsea as a first team coach, where he won both the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League and the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup his first season.
Early life
Born on August 14, 1987, Cueva is originally from the Providencia neighborhood in Guadalajara, he spent his childhood on Milan Street and played football in the streets like any other child of his time.From a young age, Cueva was passionate about football and often played with friends. His love for the game developed early, and though he didn't follow a traditional professional player path, he gravitated toward the analytical and tactical side of football. Before entering coaching, he pursued studies in applied mathematics and strategic planning, setting the foundation for his career as a technical analyst.
Career
In the [2017-18 C.D. C.D. Guadalajara|Guadalajara season|2017-18 season], Cueva was appointed as the Head of Sports Intelligence of Mexican side Guadalajara. He was part of Guadalajara when they won the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League and participated in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup. After three years with Guadalajara, he left during the 2019-20 season. Cueva was then appointed as a First Team coach and set-piece coach of English Championship team Brentford in the 2020-21 season. He was part of Brentford when they achieved promotion to the English Premier League. He became the first Mexican to ever be part of the coaching staff of an English Premier League team.Cueva was appointed Senior Men's First Team coach of the Norway national football team in the 2021-22 season. He only worked with them during the international breaks, so he was able to work for the Norway national football team and Brentford simultaneously. He later left Norway in early 2022 to focus his career with Brentford. After four years with Brentford, he caught the attention of English side Chelsea and left Brentford during the 2023-24 season.
Cueva joined Chelsea on as a First Team coach and set-piece coach at the start of the 2024–25 season. At his first year with the club, Chelsea managed to secure a spot for the UEFA Champions League next season, something the team struggled to achieve in the past two seasons, and also the managed to win the 2024-25 UEFA Europa Conference League with a commanding 4–1 victory over Spanish LaLiga side Real Betis in the final. That same season, his side also stunned the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain with a dominant 3–0 win in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final, featuring a brace from Cole Palmer.