Cuban Soccer Star Luis Javier Paradela Named Best Player in Costa Rica

The season for Cuban soccer player Luis Javier Paradela Díaz couldn't have been better, as he secured two awards on Monday night at the Unafut Awards gala. The event honored the best players in Costa Rican soccer for the Apertura and Clausura Tournaments. Paradela was acknowledged as the Best Player and Best Foreign Player of the Clausura 2024 in Costa Rican football.

"I can't be with you, but I want to thank the fans and my teammates who helped me become the best foreign player of Clausura 2024. Winning this award is tough because Costa Rica has many excellent foreign players, many of whom are at Saprissa," expressed Luis Paradela through a video shown at the gala.

The Cuban, who is currently on a one-year loan to Universitatea Craiova in Romania, also expressed his gratitude "to all my club teammates for helping me achieve this award." During the Clausura tournament, the Cuban player scored nine goals and provided three assists while playing for Deportivo Saprissa.

In the Apertura 2023 of the Liga Promerica, Paradela scored four goals and gave two assists in 17 matches. Paradela was the first native of the island to join soccer in the United States without losing his residency rights in Cuba.

In 2019, he signed with Reno 1868 FC of the United Soccer League (USL), a championship that operates as the second division of American soccer. Reno FC is an affiliate of the San Jose Earthquakes, a team in Major League Soccer (MLS). That same year, the player from Matanzas was called up by the Cuban national team to play two friendly matches in the Dominican Republic before participating in the Concacaf Nations League.