He celebrates his goals by imitating an archer and it is as if his imaginary arrows reach directly into the hearts of Boca Juniors supporters. In front of the crowd as well as in front of the cages, Edinson Cavani has not missed a target in recent weeks and is playing tonight (the night of Tuesday to Wednesday) the semi-final of the Copa de la Liga. “He’s on fire,” admires Gustavo Gomez, a fan won over by the Uruguayan Cupid. The love story between the former PSG goleador (200 goals between 2013 and 2020) and the volcanic club of Buenos Aires has become passionate. She began with a flamboyant presentation at the Bombonera last August before encountering the frustrations of everyday life. The results until the end of February: three goals in twenty matches, injuries, a defeat in the final of the Copa Libertadores (the South American Champions League)…
“But we always supported him because we knew he would eventually free himself,” boasts Gustavo Gomez, president of a group of supporters from Corrientes, in the north-east of Argentina. He is not an attacker who exists only by his statistics. We could see his efforts and his involvement. His attitude has always been impeccable. » “He created chances in every match,” notes Étienne Didot, recruiter for Lille in South America. That already means something in a championship where the game is very aggressive, often choppy. »
This did not prevent criticism from falling, with the sports daily “Olé” wondering for example why Cavani (37) continued to be established despite his “low level”. It was February 29. Three days later, the Uruguayan international (136 caps, 58 goals) scored a hat-trick against Belgrano (3-2). The famous trigger: carefully managed by his coach, the Matador has just scored nine goals in as many matches. Beyond the numbers, he seems above all to have become “the best version of himself” again, notes José Luis Villarreal, ex-boca midfielder (1987-1992) and Montpellier (1995-1996).
“The model teammate”
“This is the Cavani that everyone wanted to see,” he exults. He worked in silence and now exudes confidence. » The Argentinian assures that he “never doubted” the former Parisian, convinced that his drought (594 minutes without scoring) came from a “tactical problem”. “Last year, he was too far from the goal,” he observes. There, the team is more balanced. He still runs as much but comes down less. He is better surrounded. It changes everything. » Laborious last year, the ultra-hot club from the capital is carried by new momentum after having beaten River Plate (3-2) in style, a few days ago, in an Argentinian superclásico that the star scored of its imprint (a goal, an overflowing activity).
VIDEO. Cavani after his 200th goal at PSG: “It’s a magnificent moment for me”
“What’s better than scoring against our eternal rival? », asks Gustavo Gomez, witness to the demonstration. On the night of Tuesday to Wednesday (kick-off at 1 a.m. French time), the faithful ultra will be in Córdoba, where Boca faces Estudiantes de La Plata in the semi-finals of the Copa de la Liga, the major competition of the first semester. Cavani, king soon to be crowned? “He will end up being considered an idol here, whether he wins titles or not,” Villarreal says. What he does at his age, his professionalism, his dedication… He is the model teammate. He took the championship to a new dimension. »
A speech that Juan Román Riquelme, president of Boca, has been hammering out for months in the face of doubts surrounding the Uruguayan, under contract until the end of 2024. “It’s a dream for us to have him here,” repeated the former midfielder after the success against River. “He had difficulty when he arrived because he was coming from a complicated season in Valencia,” recalls Carlos Navarro Montoya, former goalkeeper of the “Bosteros” (1988-1996). He had to adapt to very demanding football, recover from physical problems… We sometimes forget that. Today, his level is incredible. » To the point of convincing Marcelo Bielsa to take him to the Copa América? Cavani has not worn the selection jersey since the 2022 World Cup.
