Hugo Francisco Cuenca Martínez (born 8 January 2005) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and winger for club Celta Fortuna, on loan from club Genoa. He also plays for 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.https://www.acmilan.com/en/news/articles/milan-futuro/2024-08-10/winning-debut-for-milan-futuro-3-0-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.https://www.legaseriea.it/en/match/2024-25aunicouni3lazmil
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.
Loans in Spain On 2 February 2026, Cuenca moved to Spain and joined Segunda División club Burgos, on a six-month loan until the end of the season. However, he only played for the B-team in Segunda Federación.
On 4 August 2026, Cuenca was announced at Celta de Vigo's reserves in the second division, also on loan.
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.
Personal life Born in Paraguay, Cuenca also holds a Spanish passport, which he acquired in order to accommodate his move to AC Milan (due to transfer rules for non-EU players).
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMilan FuturoSerie C9020—110Total9020—110 AC MilanSerie A00——00Total00——00 Genoa2024–25Serie A00——00 2025–260010—00Total00100000 Career total903000120 Notes
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsParaguay202410202520Total30
References
External links