Alfonso ‘Pocho’ Dulanto, the former Universitario de Deportes and Alianza Lima player, opened up his life and history in a recent appearance on the Trome podcast ‘Lateando con Puchungo’ hosted by Roberto ‘Puchungo’ Yáñez. Walking through the Mangomarca neighborhood in San Juan de Lurigancho, Dulanto reflected on the 1987 Alianza Lima Fokker tragedy, his early warehouse days at Lau Chun, his $100 monthly salary at Deportivo Yurimaguas, and an upcoming marriage to his partner, volleyball player Miriam Patiño.
Fantasy & Market Impact
- Multi-Generational Scouting: The pipeline from Mangomarca’s dirt pitches directly to elite professional academies is underlined by the international trajectory of his son, Gustavo Dulanto.
The Mangomarca Roots and the Shadow of the Fokker Tragedy
The journey through San Juan de Lurigancho began on the tenth block of Kalasasaya in Mangomarca, near the entrance of Zárate. Before visiting his childhood haunts, Dulanto welcomed Yáñez to his family’s rooftop celebration for a niece's birthday. But beneath the neighborhood festivities lies a somber chapter of Peruvian footballing history. Dulanto started his career within Alianza Lima, brought in after his uncle connected him with coach Willy Laya and Coqui Maldonado.
Then came the devastating 1987 aerial disaster of the Fokker plane carrying the Alianza Lima squad. Dulanto learned of the tragedy via early morning radio broadcasts before heading to the beach with friends to process the loss. The disaster hit home particularly hard because he had lost a close friend, Braulio Tejada. The psychological toll was immediate and severe; Dulanto walked away from the sport entirely for a period, unable to return to Matute or touch a ball until he eventually found the resolve to step back onto the pitch.
From Counting Cartolinas at Lau Chun to Yurimaguas
Long before commanding a backline or earning a call-up to the Peru national team, Dulanto balanced industrial warehouse duties with amateur fixtures. Working at Lau Chun, his initial assignment was counting cardboard cartons before earning a promotion to sales. Because he played for the company team, he collected two concurrent paychecks, creating financial stability outside of sports.
When the opportunity to join Deportivo Yurimaguas materialized, Jorge Lau offered him a stable corporate career path. Dulanto opted for the pitch instead, taking a pay cut to earn just $100 a month. When he informed Lau of the compensation, the executive questioned the logic of abandoning a secure corporate ladder for a modest football stipend, but Dulanto’s ambition for the game outweighed the office desk.
| Club / Entity | Role / Position | Key Context |
|---|---|---|
| Alianza Lima | Winger / Midfielder | Started youth career; survived the emotional aftermath of the 1987 Fokker tragedy. |
| Lau Chun | Warehouse / Sales & Company Player | Worked counting cardboard units before prioritizing professional football over corporate administration. |
| Deportivo Yurimaguas | Defender | Earned $100 monthly; transitioned to the libero position under manager Miguel Ángel Arrué. |
| Universitario de Deportes | Center-Back / Libero | Elevated status, national team selection, and major club exposure. |
Tactical Evolution: How Cigarettes Built a Libero
The gamble at Yurimaguas paid off exponentially when manager Miguel Ángel Arrué arrived at the club. Recognizing Dulanto’s physical attributes—including a surprise growth spurt that stretched him from a 1.76-meter winger to a 1.83-meter central defender—Arrué redesigned his tactical blueprint on the fly. Lacking a tactical board in the locker room, the coach famously used his own cigarettes to map out positional assignments on an improvised surface, permanently molding Dulanto into a ball-playing libero.
That tactical intelligence translated directly into a high-profile move to Universitario de Deportes. The switch to Los Cremas served as an immediate national showcase, propelling him straight into the Peru national team setup. Unlike his mother, who initially insisted he focus on his studies—he completed his auxiliary accounting coursework before committing entirely to athletics—Dulanto’s footballing instincts carried him across domestic circuits and into an international stint in Greece, where he roomed with Percy Olivares.
Legacy, Family Ties, and a Monumental Wedding
The neighborhood of Mangomarca remains a permanent fixture in the Dulanto family narrative. Even after competing in the Champions League, his son Gustavo Dulanto regularly returned to the very same dirt pitches in San Juan de Lurigancho where his father first honed his craft, preserving a rare, uncompromised connection to grassroots football culture.
Closing out his appearance on the podcast, Dulanto revealed a major upcoming personal milestone. He confirmed plans to marry his partner, volleyball player and Universitario captain Miriam Patiño, colloquially known as his ‘Matadora’. When discussing potential venues for the ceremony, Dulanto pointed directly toward the Estadio Monumental, cementing a lifelong bond with the club that defined the zenith of his professional playing career.
