Cavani’s patience: from the 140-day drought to the fight for the top 5 active scorers in the world

Those who walk the corridors of the Ezeiza property say so Edinson Cavani it hasn’t changed in these 140 days of drought Mouth. On the contrary, he continued with his routine, that of arriving early, accompanied by that thermos that is part of the extended arm of every Uruguayan, and leaving after all his companions. And to every word of encouragement, this was the Salto-born striker’s response.

Even though the ball didn’t want to go in, Edi trained with great dedication, even when he was injured in the second round against Sarmiento. The absence of a goal had him busy, but not awake. That didn’t stop him from sleeping. This is why he spoke naturally after the hat-trick against Belgrano. And now, after having put an end to that diabolical streak, he has another goal between his eyebrows: enter the top five of the best scorers in existencethe one led by Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese star who does not escape none other than Lionel Messi.

Cavani has always been a quiet guy, even in its most intense moment. But there were some central issues in dealing with these four months of wet gunpowder and criticism that arrived, above all, 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 a tacit support that manifested itself in the last home games and which was repeated before the duel with the Cordoba team. While the majority has lost patience Frank Fabra and Pol Fernández blew the whistle at the Bombonera and protected by Román in the media, the Uruguayan has always been respected.

“Roman 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 I wanted him to come and I’m happy that he can flow, “he stressed.

Martínez returned him to the starting role after recovering from the left hamstring strain suffered against Sarmiento in early February, when he missed four clear scoring situations that ended up influencing the tie. He came on in the second half with Lanús and confirmed himself with River and Belgrano. Tomorrow, against Union in Santa Fe, he will be able to rest. The coach respected his trajectory and didn’t put him in the rotation until he was unblocked.

“Diego has codes, it’s true. Furthermore, he blindly trusts Cavani. That’s why I knew I would break the curse,” they told Clarín in the privacy of the technical staff.

And even if it’s spells Giorgio Armas, Peruvian astrologer and Boca fan, worked so that Edi could get back on the path to goals. With cinnamon and a black candle, according to his sayings. “We cleaned up,” said the attacker, who turned 37 on Valentine’s Day, as soon as the hat-trick was completed.

We were talking about Riquelme, who always highlighted it 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 ignore his family, “the invisible ones who are always there”, according to the player’s statements. That’s why he’s wife, Jocelyn Burgardtshe burst into tears when her husband scored the first goal of 2024.

It was the penalty that paved the way for his feat at the Bombonera. And the one who will remain in the history of Boca for having been there the player who scored the fastest hat-trick since Martín Palermo. Cavani screamed three times in just 16 minutes, something he 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 wonderful surprise, because I know Edi and I love him very much. He is still an important goalscorer. I was very pleased when I discovered that he scored three goals for Boca,” said Walter Mazzari. , the coach with whom Cavani scored the most goals in his entire career, when he played for Napoli.

He currently has 443 and had already surpassed Neymar (439). He chooses Karin Benzema (472). In front are Luis Suárez (559), Robert Lewandoswki (642), Messi (824) and CR7 (877). Cavani has the Frenchman at his fingertips, but his most precious goal at the moment is not personal, but rather winning a title with the shirt he has adopted on this side of the Río de La Plata.