Miguel Borja had a furious start to 2024
.
At 31 years old, the Colombian is in a great moment and now he demonstrates the reasons why River paid
8 million dollars
for him in mid-2022 and exhibits the level of a top striker, what they went looking for with his hiring.
Borja shines his scoring lineage, which led him to shout 202 times in his career.
He had already completed the game after 200 goals since he became a professional, according to “Colibrí” himself after River's 2-0 victory over Independiente Rivadavia with a double of his own and that is why they had prepared a shirt for him with the 200 on the back.
His present is as top scorer in the League Cup with 9 goals, but the statistics say much more than the cold number.
The Colombian is the main person responsible for River being the leader in Zone A. His goal record represents half of the scores (17) of his team in the tournament.
Furthermore, he scored in 6 of the 9 matches played.
With those 9 goals, Borja took River to the highest point so far in the League Cup, and, added to the one he scored against Excursionistas for the Argentine Cup, he has 10 goals in almost a month and a half of competition.
At the same time, he registers a goal average with the red band 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 mark of 0.48.
Important numbers.
And he will seek to surpass his personal best streak in one year: the 39 goals he scored in 2016 with the Cortuluá and Atlético Nacional jerseys.
Photo Marcelo Carroll - CLARIN
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 being the third "9" on the team to the first center forward and a decisive player in Núñez's team?
There was no skin between Micho and Borja.
The German super intensity clashed with the coffee parsimony.
However, the goals brought them together and now there is a soap opera love affair between the two, to the point that the forward comes up 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 stay as a coach in Núñez, Borja did not have the characteristics of his favorite number 9.
He saw him as slow, and he didn't believe he could do the job of putting pressure on opposing defenders, much less leave the area to play and pivot.
Although he praised his nose for goal and his reputation as a “killer” in the area.
The problem was outside of her.
And the other drawback was the GPS.
Borja's player scored less than the parameters that the coaching staff considered for a River player.
Borja and Rondón celebrate the victory in the Superclásico against Boca in La Bombonera.Photo MARCELO CARROLL - CLARIN
So, “Hummingbird” played little or nothing.
It 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 Rosario Central locker room, the penultimate date of the Professional League, in July of last year, with River already champion and an alternative team, Borja could not stand being a substitute for the substitute.
Then he uploaded an emoji of a thoughtful 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 trouble.
But he only talked about it when they returned to training.
And Borja apologized.
Although Micho remained upset.
“Miguel made a bad mistake
,” he told his closest collaborators.
He felt that he was exposing him to the group.
After apologizing, Borja abandoned his attitude and there was a click in the relationship.
He promised him that when he scored again he would go hug him.
He fulfilled it against Barracas Central, on the second date of the last League Cup.
But Borja's samples were not only sentimental.
Also, at work.
Miguel had started doing counter-shift training in the first half of 2023 - and continues to do so.
These are neurocognitive exercises, which aim to enhance the speed of response in decision making.
In turn, the Colombian greatly improved his physique, so the GPS measurements grew.
He seems more agile, to the point that it is no longer difficult for him to leave the area and he incorporated a lot of play outside of it, whether to pivot, assist or receive the ball, turn around and make a change of 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 was injured before the quarterfinals (of the League Cup) and only returned for the final (of the Champions Trophy). Likewise, I saw it day by day and I had no doubt that with a new start to the year, with a new atmosphere and having a good preseason, he was going to give us a lot of goals and today he is showing it
,” Demichelis tried to explain.
Borja fought for his place with Rondón in the second part of 2023. And after the Venezuelan left, he did not have an easy time.
The thing is that, in principle, Micho wanted to turn Facundo Colidio into 9 and also went out to look for another center forward on the market.
But no one came.
And Miguel took it on in silence.
He decided to stay and continue working.
And the sacrifice paid off.
“I am very proud of him.
He had no doubts that he had to stay in 2024 and be the protagonist.
When he played less I always said that he was going to give us a lot, he is a scorer.
He shows it game by game and he is the fruit of the things that the team does very well,” Micho highlighted.
With Pablo Solari in the U-23 Olympic Qualifiers at the beginning of 2024, the attacking duo had to be Colidio-Borja.
And the Colombian did not waste the chance.
By dint of goals he earned his place.
Today she is a permanent member of the team.
He is River's 9.
And from Demichelis...