Star Signing Edinson Cavani Is Key For Boca Juniors

Last night, new signing Edinson Cavani opened his account for Boca Juniors as they defeated Club Atlético Platense 3-1 in the first game of their ‘Copa de la Liga’ campaign in Argentina.

On what was a brisk Buenos Aires evening, there was a new energy amongst the home crowd. Finally in 2023 Boca Juniors seem to have an upwards trajectory, after an extremely underwhelming first half of the year that saw them finish seventh in the ‘Liga Profesional.’

The ‘Copa’ will now see the Argentine top flight split into two groups of 14 teams. In each zone teams will play each other just once. The top 4 teams from each side of the draw will then face-off in the finals. That knock-out phase will culminate with a new champion being crowned in Argentina at the end of the year.

After River Plate won the first big trophy in Argentina this season Boca Juniors are looking for revenge over their most fearsome rivals. Cavani will need to stay fit and in form if Boca are to have a real chance of competing for this title.

The Uruguayan superstar has quickly become a fan favourite at ‘La Bombonera.’ A trademark header meant his first goal for the club came in just his second appearance wearing the famous blue and yellow.

Cavani’s wage package will dwarf that of the majority of his teammates but nobody will be complaining if he keeps doing what he does best; scoring goals. Boca had been crying out for a more consistent forward to propel them towards glory this season and Cavani might just be the man for the job.

Cavani is set to earn $2 million per season at the club. That’s well over the $1.2 million annual salary of Darío Benedetto, Boca’s highest earner until Cavani arrived. Benedetto is also the man that Cavani will likely replace in the starting line-up on a regular basis.

Boca Juniors will hope that the impact of Cavani’s arrival will be seen, not just on the field of play, but on the club’s balance sheet as well. With over 300,000 members scrambling for under 50,000 match tickets every week, ticket sales cannot exactly increase. However, in shirt sales, sponsorships and media opportunities Cavani’s name should help broker some great business for the club.

The talismanic striker joined Boca Juniors recently on a free transfer after agreeing to terminate his contract with Valencia C.F in Spain. In fact, Cavani had to spend over $1.6 million of his own money to do so, showing his desire to make the move to La Boca.

At 36 years of age Cavani is a veteran of course, but his quality cannot be understated. Nicknamed ‘El Matador’ which directly translates to ‘The Killer’ Cavani has been one of the most lethal strikers in World football during his career, particularly during spells with Napoli in Italy and Paris St Germain in France. He spent ten years between the two clubs and scored over 300 goals in under 450 games.

Cavani has also performed excellently at international level for Uruguay. He has scored 58 goals in 136 international apperances for the Celeste. Excelling alongside strike partners like Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez to help catapult his nation to a World Cup semi-final in 2010 and a Copa America title a year later in 2011.

Yet, Cavani arrives in Buenos Aires on the back of a very underwhelming 2022/2023 season with Valencia. He failed to impress in La Liga, suffered with injuries and finished with a meek record of seven goals in 29 appearances in all competition for the Spanish side.

Whether a player is past his sell by date or not, big names are a big deal for Argentine clubs. The fans see their club directors as parsimonious if they let the club languish in mediocrity without bringing in a marquee signing to do something about it.

This attitude has been exemplified in Argentina in the last few weeks, with the traditional top clubs making those exact types of signings. San Lorenzo have signed ex-Uruguay and Premier League star Gaston Ramirez, Racing Club have signed Colombian sensation Juanfer Quintero and River Plate have brought Manuel Lanzini back home from his stint at West Ham in England.

Cavani and all of the above are in their thirties now. Can these ex-stars still have a big impact on the pitch? Time will tell, but Boca’s new poster boy has certainly got off to a good start. There will be plenty more goals where that came from and maybe even a trophy at the end of the season.