Hugo Cuenca (footballer)
Hugo Francisco Cuenca Martínez is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and winger for Serie A club Genoa and the Paraguay national team.
Club career
Early career
Born in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay, Cuenca played football through the youth system of Deportivo Capiatá, before going on a series of trials with AC Milan, starting from December 2019, and finally joining the Italian club in August 2022, as he signed a three-year professional contract in the process. He was subsequently included in the first team's pre-season campaign shortly after his signing, and went on to feature in several friendly matches.AC Milan and Milan Futuro
Throughout the whole 2022–23 season, Cuenca played for AC Milan's under-19 team, scoring four goals – one of which, a strike against Hellas Verona, was nominated for goal of the season – and four assists in twenty-eight games; he also helped the team reach the UEFA Youth League semi-finals for the first time in their history, although they were eventually eliminated by Croatian side Hajduk Split.In the summer of 2023, Cuenca was once again included in the first-team squad by manager Stefano Pioli ahead of the 2023–24 season. He began training with the first team in January 2024.
He joined AC Milan for their 2024–25 pre-season, getting some minutes of playing time in the friendly matches. Cuenca made his professional debut on 10 August 2024, starting for the newly created reserve team Milan Futuro, on a 3–0 away win Coppa Italia Serie C first round match against Lecco.
On 31 August 2024, Cuenca received his first call-up with AC Milan, as an unused substitute for a 2–2 away draw Serie A match against Lazio.
Genoa
He moved to fellow Serie A club Genoa on 3 February 2025, permanently on a free transfer.Cuenca made his debut with Genoa on 3 December 2025, during a 4–0 away loss 2025–26 Coppa Italia match against Atalanta.
International career
Cuenca has represented Paraguay at under-15 and under-17 levels.He received his first call-up with the Paraguay national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Uruguay and Brazil on 6 and 10 September 2024, respectively. Cuenca debuted against Brazil at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco. He substituted Miguel Almirón in the 86th minute as Paraguay won 1–0.