Miguel Borja’s leap to River: how he won the duel against Demichelis and went from third ‘9’ to undisputed starter

Miguel Borja has had a furious start to 2024. At 31 years old, the Colombian is in a great moment and now shows the reasons why River paid 8 million dollars for him in mid-2022 and shows the level of a great striker, what they were looking for with his salary.

Borja highlights his goalscoring lineage, which has led him to shout 202 times in his career. He had already completed the match after 200 goals since he turned professional, according to “Colibrí” himself after River’s 2-0 victory over Independiente Rivadavia with a brace and that’s why they had prepared a shirt for him with the 200 on back.

His present is as top scorer in the League Cup with 9 goals, but the statistics say much more than the cold numbers. The Colombian is mainly responsible for River’s primacy in Zone A. His goalscoring record represents half of his team’s scores (17) in the tournament. Furthermore, he scored in 6 of the 9 games played.

With those 9 goals, Borja led River to their highest point so far in the League Cup and, added to the one he scored against Excursionistas in the Argentine Cup, he has 10 goals in almost a month and a half of competition.

At the same time he recorded a red band goal average of 0.47, the product of 33 goals in 70 games. And he is the top scorer of the Demichelis cycle with 24 goals in 50 games, with a rating of 0.48. Important numbers. And he will try to surpass his best personal record in one year: the 39 goals scored in 2016 with the shirts of Cortuluá and Atlético Nacional.

Now, to understand Borja’s present, there are two questions in one: how did he rebuild his relationship with Demichelis and how did he go from the third “9” of the team to the first center forward and decisive player in Núñez’s team?

There was no skin between Micho and Borja. German super intensity clashed with coffee parsimony. But the goals brought them together and now it’s a soap opera love between the two, to the point that the striker comes over to greet the coach when he scores a goal and sometimes they even embrace each other in a hug.

For Demichelis, at the beginning of his time as coach at Núñez, Borja did not have the characteristics of his favorite number 9. I saw him slow and I didn’t think he could do the job of putting pressure on opposing defenders, much less leave the area to play and pivot. Although he praised his eye for goal and his reputation as a “killer” in the box. The problem was outside of her.

And the other drawback was the GPS. The player from Borja scored below the parameters that the coaching staff considered for a River player.

So “Colibrì” played little or nothing. He was turned off. He was the third “9”, behind Lucas Beltrán and Salomón Rondón, both already far from Núñez. And the situation exploded when in the locker room of Rosario Central, the penultimate match of the Professional League, in July last year, with River already champions and an alternative team, Borja couldn’t bear to be the substitute’s substitute. Then he uploaded an emoji of a thinking face (similar to his own). A clear message to Demichelis.

When the coach found out about this situation, he screamed. He gave him a lot of anger. But he only talked about it when he returned to training. And Borja apologized. Even though Micho was shocked. “Miguel made a serious mistake”, he told his closest collaborators. She felt that she was exposing him to the group.

After apologizing, Borja dropped his attitude and there was a spurt in the relationship. He had promised him that when he scored a goal again she would come and hug him. He did it against Barracas Central, in the second match of the last League Cup.

But Borja’s champions were not just sentimental. Also, at work. Miguel had started rotating training in the first half of 2023 and continues to do so. These are neurocognitive exercises, which aim to enhance response speed in the decision-making process. In turn, the Colombian has significantly improved his physique, so his GPS measurements have increased. He seems more agile, to the point that it is no longer difficult for him to exit the area and he has incorporated a lot of play outside the area, whether to turn, make assists or receive the ball, turn and change front.

“Last year we used the five flyer system a lot. Miguel (Borja), Salomón (Rondón), (Pablo) Solari and (Facundo) Colidio alternated, but we always played with five midfielders. Until Borja got injured before the quarter-finals (of the League Cup) and only returned for the final (of the Champions Trophy). Likewise, I saw him day after day and I had no doubt that with the start of the year, with a new atmosphere and having a good pre-season, he would give us a lot of goals and today he is proving it.”Demichelis tried to explain.

Borja fought for his place with Rondón in the second part of 2023. And after the Venezuelan’s departure, he did not have an easy life. The fact is that Micho, in principle, wanted to transform Facundo Colidio into a 9 and also went looking for another center forward on the market. But no one came. And Miguel faced him in silence. He decided to stay and continue working. And the sacrifice paid off.

“I’m very proud of him. He had no doubts that he had to stay in 2024 and be a protagonist. When he played less I always said that he would give us a lot, he’s a goalscorer. He shows it game after game and it’s the result of the things that the team does a lot good,” Micho emphasized.

With Pablo Solari in the Under 23 Olympic Qualifiers at the beginning of 2024, the attacking duo could only be Colidio-Borja. And the Colombian didn’t waste the opportunity. He earned his place thanks to his goals. Today he is a permanent member of the team. He is the 9 of River. And from Demichelis…