Gianfranco Chávez

Gianfranco Chávez came through the Sporting Cristal academy, joining as a boy of around ten and making his professional debut for the club in April 2017. A loan spell at Deportivo Coopsol in 2018 gave him regular football in the Segunda División, where he scored twice in ten appearances before returning to Sporting Cristal.

Over his years at Sporting Cristal he built a trophy collection that included the Liga 1 title in 2020, the Copa Bicentenario in 2021, the Torneo de Verano in 2018 and the Torneo Apertura in 2021. His form earned individual recognition too: SAFAP named him to the Liga 1 Best XI in both 2019 and 2020, a selection Dechalaca.com also made in 2019, and he was pre-selected as SAFAP's Best Defender in 2021.

Chávez had already worn the captain's armband for Peru at youth level, leading the U-15 side to the title at the 2013 South American U-15 Championship. He went on to represent the U-20s at the 2017 South American Championship and the U-23s at both the 2019 Pan American Games and the 2020 Pre-Olympic Tournament. His senior debut came on 20 January 2022, in a 3–0 home win over Jamaica, and he was called into the squad again for friendlies against Bolivia.

In August 2025, Alianza Lima paid Sporting Cristal a fee of $200,000 for his services, signing him through to the end of 2027. He continued winning silverware in his new colours, lifting the Torneo Apertura with Alianza Lima.