This 15-Year-Old Peruvian Fan Couldn’t Get Into the Copa Libertadores Final, So He Narrated It From a Hill and Blew Up Online
Cliver Huaman Sánchez, a 15-year-old Peruvian football narrator best known as Pol Deportes, is the internet’s newest sensation. His inspiring story took off on social media after Huaman covered the Copa Libertadores final from a hill overlooking the Monumental Stadium. Now, the young creator is living the dream, conquering football audiences worldwide and narrating matches in Europe.
Who is Pol Deportes?
His phone, a tripod, and a microphone were enough for Cliver Huaman to achieve a seemingly far-off dream.
Hailing from Huampica, Andahuaylas, Huaman opened a sports account on social media when he was only 12 years old. While balancing school and life on the chacra (agricultural parcel), he started narrating matches online, encouraged by his older brother, Kenny. Cliver found inspiration in his father, who works in agriculture and hosts a local radio show.
A couple of weeks ago, the teen skyrocketed to fame with a viral broadcast of the Flamengo vs. Palmeiras match on November 29. But this was no regular broadcast. The game would decide the champion of the Copa Libertadores, South America’s biggest club tournament.
Huaman traveled 18 hours from the province of Andahuaylas in the Apurimac Region to Lima. He was then denied access to the stadium—Huaman is a minor and had no journalist accreditations whatsoever.
However, he did not give up. To arrive in Lima, Cliver and his brother Kenny had set up a fundraiser among local businesses in Andahuaylas. As El País reports, Cliver felt like he was letting his audience down. The alternative was finding another place for him to broadcast the match.
The rest is history
Per La Nación, Cliver and Kenny, who doubles as his producer and agent, paid for a motorcycle taxi that took them to Cerro Puruchuco. There, the young men climbed to a viewpoint with a panoramic view of the stadium. The result was what has been dubbed as one of the most epic football broadcasts in Peruvian history.
On TikTok alone, a video recapping Cliver’s coverage has exceeded 16 million views. His following also skyrocketed, reaching 1.9 million within days. On Instagram, Cliver has amassed more than 700k followers.
With the social media virality came interviews, invitations, and a downpour of support. Cliver visited the House of Pizarro (Peru’s presidential palace) and guest-narrated a match at the Monumental. Then, Latina Television stepped in, inviting Huaman to join a team traveling to Spain to narrate the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Peruvian pride in Europe
The news traveled fast among international audiences and the Peruvian community in Spain. Cliver and his family arrived in Madrid to an enthusiastic group of immigrants who waited for him at the airport. Many expressed their pride and joy for Cliver’s fast-rising career and presented him as an example of Peruvian resourcefulness.
Cliver, meanwhile, has proudly represented Peru and his Indigenous heritage. Invited to a radio broadcast from Marca, one of Spain’s biggest sports media companies, Cliver took the mic to narrate in Quechua. He has also offered interviews to Spanish outlets, where he has shared his plans for the future. Spoiler alert: Cliver is set on studying journalism and taking his career to the next level.
