“It’s going to arrive, don’t worry.”
Those who walk the corridors of the Ezeiza property say that Edinson Cavani did not change in these 140 days of drought in Boca. On the contrary, he continued with his routine, that of arriving early, accompanied by that thermos that is part of the arm extension of any Uruguayan, and leaving after all of his companions. And to every word of encouragement, that was the response of the forward born in Salto.
Even though the ball did not want to go in, Edi trained with great dedication, even when he was injured on the second round against Sarmiento. The absence of a goal had him busy, but not awake. She didn’t lose sleep. That’s why he spoke naturally after his hat-trick against Belgrano. And now, after ending that diabolical streak, he has another objective between his eyebrows: get into the top five of the top gunners in forcethe one headed by Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese star who is not lost on Lionel Messi, no less.
Cavani was always a calm guy, even at its most forceful moment. But there were some issues that were central to navigating these four months of wet gunpowder and criticism that came, especially, on social networks: the support of Juan Román RiquelmeDiego Martínez, his teammates and even the fans themselves.
Beyond the fact that he received reproaches from the faithful Xeneizes, there was tacit support that was manifested in the last home games and that was repeated before the duel with the Cordoba team. While the majority lost patience with Frank Fabra and Pol Fernández, whistled at the Bombonera and protected in the media by Román, the Uruguayan was always respected.
“Román always gives me confidence. It hasn’t been a month or five since he tried to convince me to come, it’s been almost three years now. It was a matter of trust that he wanted me to come and I am happy that he can flow,” he emphasized.
Martínez returned him to the starting position after his recovery from the left hamstring contracture that he suffered against Sarmiento at the beginning of February, when he missed four clear goal situations that ended up having an impact on the tie. He entered in the second half with Lanús and confirmed it with River and Belgrano. Tomorrow, against Unión in Santa Fe, he could rest. The coach respected his trajectory and did not make him part of the rotation until he was unblocked.
“Diego has codes, it’s true. Also, blind faith in Cavani. That’s why he knew that he was going to break the curse,” they told Clarín from the privacy of the coaching staff.
And if it’s about spells, even Giorgio Armas, Peruvian astrologer and Boca fan, worked so that Edi could get back on the path to scoring. With cinnamon and a black candle, according to his own sayings. “We cleaned it up,” he said as soon as the striker’s hat-trick was completed, who turned 37 on Valentine’s Day.
There was talk about Riquelme, who always highlighted him as “the best international reinforcement in history” even in his worst moments at the club. Also, from Martínez, who supported him against all odds, and from the fans. It will be impossible to avoid his family, “the invisible ones that are always there”, according to the player’s own statements. That’s why his wife Jocelyn Burghardtburst into tears when her husband scored the first goal of 2024.
It was the penalty that paved the way for his feat in La Bombonera. And the one who will remain in the history of Boca for having been the player who scored the fastest hat-trick since Martín Palermo. Cavani shouted three times in just 16 minutes, something he had achieved with the PSG shirt against Guingamp in the 2018/2019 season. The Titan had done it in 2008, when he celebrated in triplicate against Gimnasia in just 8 minutes.
“For me it was a beautiful surprise, because I know Edi and I love him very much. He is still an important scorer. It gave me a lot of pleasure when I found out that he scored three goals with Boca,” said Walter Mazzari, the coach with whom Cavani scored the most. goals in his entire career. It was when he played for Napoli.
Currently, he has 443 and had already surpassed Neymar (439). He goes for Karin Benzema (472). Ahead are Luis Suárez (559), Robert Lewandoswki (642), Messi (824) and CR7 (877). Cavani has the Frenchman within reach, but his most precious goal right now is not personal, but rather winning a title with the shirt he adopted on this side of the Río de La Plata.