Juan Guillermo Cuadrado Bello (born 26 May 1988) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays for Millonarios. He usually plays on the right side of the pitch, either as a winger, wing-back, or full-back. He is known for his direct style of play, including his pace both on and off the ball, as well as his dribbling skills.
Having begun his career at Independiente Medellín, Cuadrado moved to Italy in 2009 to join Udinese. Used sparingly at the club, he was loaned to Lecce for the 2011–12 season, where despite relegation from Serie A, his performance earned a transfer to Fiorentina. In February 2015, he was signed by Chelsea, but after playing sparingly, was loaned to Juventus for consecutive seasons, where he won successive Serie A and Coppa Italia titles. He joined the club permanently in 2017, and added a third consecutive domestic double the following season, followed by two more consecutive league titles and a Supercoppa Italiana over the next two seasons. In June 2023, after deciding not to extend his contract with Juventus, Cuadrado signed for Inter Milan on a free transfer, agreeing to a one-year contract. After missing most of the 2023–24 season due to injuries, Cuadrado joined Atalanta as a free agent on a one-year deal.
Cuadrado made his senior debut for Colombia in 2010, and went on to earn over 110 caps. He was part of the squads that took part at five editions of the Copa América (2011, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021), reaching the quarter-finals on three occasions, and contributing to their third-place finishes in 2016 and 2021; Cuadrado also represented his nation at two editions of the FIFA World Cup, in 2014 and 2018.
Club career Early career Born in Necoclí, Cuadrado first form of football development wasn't until his mother suggested him the idea at the age of 12, joining Manchester F.C. Apartadó, a youth academy located in Apartadó, Antioquia. Consequently, his notable performances allowed him to join the youth setup of Deportivo Cali after impressing their scouts. Cuadrado later joined Atlético Uraba, where his preferred position was as a forward. However, on the recommendation of club founder Nelson Gallego, Cuadrado took on a midfielder role, usually as a winger. Cuadrado's confidence and ability in the position also allowed him to play occasionally as a full-back or wing-back. He later had a brief spell at Colombian second division club Rionegro, where he languished on the bench under coach Víctor González Scott, but his potential was later recognized by manager Juan José Peláez of Independiente Medellín.
Independiente Medellín He was eventually signed by Medellin in 2008, allowing him to return to the first division. That year, Cuadrado made his senior professional debut against Boyacá Chicó, a match in which he would also score his first goal. Cuadrado remained in Medellin until 2009, before making the leap to European football.
Udinese On 2 July 2009, Cuadrado signed with Serie A club Udinese on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He played his first match for Udinese in a 2–1 win against Chievo as a right wing back. Cuadrado, however, was not given many first-team minutes for the rest of the season, and he would be sent on loan to fellow Serie A side Lecce.
Lecce (loan) On 3 August 2011, it was officially confirmed that Cuadrado would join Lecce for the 2011–12 season. He scored his first goal for the club against Cesena, the sole goal in a 1–0 victory. In spite of further impressive performances from Cuadrado, however, Lecce finished 18th and was relegated to Serie B. He would then return to Udinese. Around this time, he was watched by an unidentified English club who deemed that at 23 years he was too old to be signed by the club.
Fiorentina On 23 July 2012, Cuadrado completed his move to Fiorentina, initially in a temporary deal for a €1 million transfer fee.ACF Fiorentina S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2012 (in Italian), PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.ACF Fiorentina S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2013 (in Italian), PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A. He scored his first goal for the Florence club in a 4–1 victory at home against Cagliari. He finished the season with five goals and six assists, an integral part of a side that finished fourth in Serie A. In June 2013, La Viola purchased half of the registration rights of Cuadrado for €5 million.
On 11 February 2014, Cuadrado scored Fiorentina's second goal of a 2–0 Coppa Italia semi-final second leg victory over his former club Udinese, securing La Viola a 3–2 aggregate victory and a spot in the final. He was booked after scoring the winning goal, and suspended for the final, which his team lost 1–3 to Napoli on 3 May.
On 16 June 2014, amid media speculation of a move to a larger club by the player, Fiorentina agreed a deal to purchase full ownership of Cuadrado's contract from Udinese, for an additional €12 million.ACF Fiorentina S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2014 (in Italian), PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.
Chelsea
On 2 February 2015, Premier League club Chelsea announced the signing of Cuadrado from Fiorentina on a four-and-a-half-year deal, for a reported initial fee of £23.3 million, which could potentially rise to £26.8 million; Mohamed Salah went the other way on loan. While in Fiorentina's financial filing of year 2014, in the management report (), Fiorentina declared the fee was €30 million. Upon signing, Cuadrado said, "I am very happy and thankful for this opportunity I've been given. This is a great club and honestly it is like a dream to join the Chelsea family and to know that the manager (José Mourinho) believes in me. I'm happy." His Fiorentina manager, Vincenzo Montella, stated, "It was a sale that had to be done. Cuadrado is a player that has always arrived with a smile and given everything to Fiorentina – I'm happy for him because he is going to a big club." Mourinho commented that he was not in a "rush" for Cuadrado to fully showcase his abilities within a short time, as stated in an interview: "He needs time to adapt to the Premier League. I know Italy and I know the difference between Italy and England; his formation, his development, his experience – everything was in Italy."
Five days after signing, Cuadrado made his Chelsea debut after replacing Willian for the last ten minutes of a 2–1 win away against Aston Villa. On 11 February, he made his first start in his first appearance at Stamford Bridge, playing the first 70 minutes before being replaced by Cesc Fàbregas in a 1–0 win against Everton. He won his first Chelsea trophy on 1 March as the club defeated rival club Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 in the League Cup final, coming on in the 76th minute for Willian.
On 3 May, Cuadrado made his only third start since his move to Chelsea, in the London derby match against Crystal Palace, as Ramires was taken ill before the game. At half-time, however, Cuadrado was substituted for Mikel John Obi; Chelsea ended up claiming their fifth league title with a 1–0 victory. Three weeks later, in the final match of the season against Sunderland, he won a penalty when fouled by John O'Shea, on which Diego Costa evened the score in an eventual 3–1 home win, but he was later substituted when he was injured in the final minute of the first half.
Juventus
On 25 August 2015, Cuadrado signed a season-long loan deal with Juventus for €1.5 million. He was issued squad number 16. Five days later, he made his debut, as a 75th-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat away against Roma. On 31 October, Cuadrado scored his first Juventus goal against Torino to secure a 2–1 win in extra time at the end of the Derby della Mole. On 16 March 2016, Cuadrado scored his first ever UEFA Champions League goal in a 4–2 away defeat against Bayern Munich, in the second leg of the round of 16. On 21 May, he came off the bench to set-up Álvaro Morata's match-winning goal against Milan in the 110th minute of extra time of the 2016 Coppa Italia final, in Rome's Stadio Olimpico; Juventus' 1–0 victory enabled the club to secure the domestic double for the second consecutive season.
Cuadrado returned to Chelsea on 30 June 2016 and played a few friendlies for Chelsea, including the 2016 International Champions Cup. On 31 August, however, Cuadrado returned to Juventus on a three-year loan for €5 million per season, plus a conditional obligation to buy the full registration rights of Cuadrado from Chelsea for an additional €20 million (or €15 million and €10 million in the second and the third year of loan respectively), after certain sports related achievements. Chelsea would also receive a maximum of €4 million bonuses, making the fee potentially raise to €29 million. He was assigned the number 7 shirt at this time. Cuadrado scored his first league goal in nine months on 5 February 2017, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 home win in a Derby d'Italia clash with Inter Milan.
On 22 May 2017, it was announced that Cuadrado had joined Juventus on a permanent deal for a preset price of €20 million until 2020, after a clause in his contract had been triggered (winning the Serie A mathematically in round 37). In the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final against defending champions Real Madrid on 3 June, Cuadrado came on as a substitute for Andrea Barzagli in the 60th minute, but was later controversially sent off after picking up two yellow cards, the second for an alleged stamp on Sergio Ramos; Juventus lost the match 4–1.
Following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid in 2018, Cuadrado allowed Ronaldo to wear the number 7 shirt, with Cuadrado reverting to number 16, saying on Instagram "It is better to give than to receive [...] Blessings to Cristiano in this new adventure".
On 21 September 2019, Cuadrado made his 100th Serie A appearance with Juventus in a 2–1 home win over Verona, during which he won a penalty which was converted by Cristiano Ronaldo. During the 2019–20 season, under the club's new manager Maurizio Sarri, Cuadrado was often deployed as an attacking right-back. On 3 November, he made his 150th appearance for the club in a 1–0 away win over cross-city rivals Torino in the Derby della Mole. Later that month, he extended his contract with the club until 2022. On 5 December 2020, Juventus won against Torino by a score margin of 2–1, where Cuadrado assisted both the goals. On 15 May 2021, he scored a brace in a 3–2 home victory over Inter Milan. In the 2020–21 season, Cuadrado earned the title of best assistman of the UEFA Champions League with six assists in six games. On 5 December, Cuadrado scored an olympic goal in a 2–0 win against Genoa.
On 30 June 2023, Juventus bid farewell to Cuadrado after eight years with the club.
Inter Milan On 19 July 2023, Cuadrado joined Inter Milan on a one-year deal. In December 2023, Cuadrado suffered a surgery-requiring achilles tendon injury. His injury was operated in Turku, Finland by surgeon Lasse Lempainen in late December 2023.Suomalainen huippulääkäri leikkasi viikossa kolme maailmantähteä, Ilta-Sanomat, 22 December 2023
Atalanta On 26 August 2024, Cuadrado joined as a free agent for fellow Serie A side Atalanta on a one-year contract.
Pisa On 6 August 2025, Cuadrado joined Pisa on a free transfer, signing a one-year contract with the then recently promoted Serie A side.
International career
After being transferred to Udinese, Cuadrado received his first call-up to the Colombia national team, as well as a spot in the starting XI in a match against Venezuela on 3 September 2010, scoring the opening goal of a 2–0 victory at the Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui in Puerto La Cruz.
Cuadrado was in the Colombian squad which reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 Copa América in Argentina. His only appearance of the competition came in their last group match, a 2–0 victory over Bolivia in Santa Fe, replacing Fredy Guarín after 50 minutes.