Hugo Francisco Cuenca MartÃÂnez (born 8 January 2005) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and winger for club Burgos, on loan from club Genoa. He also plays for the Paraguay national team.
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.
Throughout the whole 2022âÂÂ23 season, Cuenca played for AC Milan's under-19 team, scoring four goals â one of which, a strike against Hellas Verona, was nominated for goal of the season â 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 2023âÂÂ24 season. He began training with the first team in January 2024.
He joined AC Milan for their 2024âÂÂ25 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 3âÂÂ0 away win Coppa Italia Serie C first round match against Lecco.
On 31 August 2024, Cuenca received his first call-up with AC Milan, as an unused substitute for a 2âÂÂ2 away draw Serie A match against Lazio.
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 4âÂÂ0 away loss 2025âÂÂ26 Coppa Italia match against Atalanta.
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.
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 1âÂÂ0.
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).