Miguel Borja is living his best moment in River Plate: will it be enough for him to return to the National Team?

The narrator refines his throat and says: shot by Borja and great goal… Powerful shot by Borja and in… Lethal header by Borja and kick it… and so it became customary in his matches with River Plate this year. Miguel Borja and the goal are reconciled. Ball that lands on his feet takes flight towards the net. Borja demands the goalkeeper and the narrator with the same difficulty. He seems like a determined Borja, with more confidence. He is a Borja who wants to show that if he plays often, like now, he scores often.

Miguel Borja arrived at River in 2022 and is experiencing a paradoxical 2024. He scores and scores goals, he has already scored 12 in his 12 games in the Argentine league; He finally became a starting player, who stands out, who is consolidating, but those goals that have become customary have not been enough for him to be, again, in the Colombian National Team.

And while that happens, if it happens, Borja dedicates himself to his job: the art of scoring goals. And he does well. Never before since his arrival at River has he been in a better scoring moment. He is the team's current scorer, top scorer in the Argentine championship, of his 12 goals he has two doubles and even a triplet that he scored against Vélez Sarsfield. Borja shows that what he needed was to play, to be the starting forward, not a substitute, but the one in charge of imposing the team's offensive rhythm. And in that he is with coach Martín Demichelis, who has him playing. He has been a first baseman in 11 games. He has also started in River's two games in the Copa Libertadores, in which he excelled this week with an assist against Nacional of Uruguay.

For all this, this Borja arouses unusual enthusiasm. Claudio Mauri He is a journalist for the newspaper La Nación of Argentina. He comments that the Colombian's performance is the most outstanding that they have seen there. “Borja is in his best moment since he arrived at River. He is consolidated as the starting '9', something that did not happen while Lucas Beltrán and Salomón Rondón were there, but with their departure, he consolidated himself, he became very important, he seems more adapted to Argentine football, with confidence; By being the scorer he acquires transcendence. He looks very good, people appreciate him a lot, he gets into the hearts of the fans. River's formation for any important match is with Miguel, there is no other possibility, he is taking advantage of his moment, he had doubts about continuing or not in River because he did not have continuity, but for River it ends up being a productive, beneficial reinforcement, his arrival was a success,” he says.

Despite everything, Borja already had reservations. He wants to interact more with the game. He passed him in a recent match against Rosario when in the first half he felt nullified. He himself said later that he wanted to leave the area more, but the coach's order was different. He accepted it. In the second half he scored two goals.

On Sunday he scored two goals, he hugged Demichelis, they are united. He became a leader, he is charismatic. He is a great header, a very good finisher. He is irreplaceable in River

Diego BorinskyArgentine journalist, author of several books, including the biography of Marcelo Gallardo, says: “His present is very good, he endeared himself to people. At the beginning of 2023, Demichelis brought in Rondón and put him above Borja and then Beltrán. Borja was displaced, he was the third striker, and he was benched. In January there was talk that he could leave, he stayed and today he is the top scorer of the championship. On Sunday he scored two goals, he hugged Demichelis, they are united. He became a leader, he is charismatic. He is a great header, a very good finisher. He is irreplaceable at River.”

And the Selection?

But there is a cross that Borja continues to carry, and it is the goals he wasted in the last World Cup qualifier in Qatar. Goals made. Goals that cost a lot in a tie in which Colombia self-destructed with the errors of all its forwards. It must be a pending revenge that Miguel has, to be able to be dressed in yellow again and celebrating with his famous hummingbird (the way he celebrates his goals in River, shaking his hands and feet). But he hasn't touched it yet. Not even now that he plays and scores goals. His name even seemed to be included in Néstor Lorenzo's last call for the friendlies against Spain and Romania, and he was not there. Surprise? Yeah.

But there are explanations. The experienced coach Julio Comesaña, who coached Borja in Junior, analyzes: “I have seen goals that Borja has scored, maintaining significant efficiency during the tournament. My opinion is that probably coach Lorenzo in his analysis of the player's performance, not only the goals but his collective play in attack and defense, does not find a way to integrate him into the squad today. He doesn't mean that at some point when he deems it necessary he won't do it. No coach leaves out of the team a player who will help him improve the collective game of defense and attack of his team, without having compelling reasons to do so… We have to see if River's game structure and the characteristics of its players are the same as those of the national team.”

For those matches, which were preparatory to the Copa América, Lorenzo preferred forwards who play in Europe like Jhon Córdoba (scored a goal) or Mateo Casierra and another who he trusts like Rafael Santos Borré, today in Brazil. “I know Miguel from another time, I don't need to try him in the National Team to know if he is there or not; I love him, I admire him. The number is limited and I felt that we had to be consistent with the process and that we have not yet been able to see enough and that they have made merit elsewhere,” Lorenzo said.

Borja is waiting for his time to return to the National Team. He doesn't give up. And the proof is his presence in River. Let the reporter clear his throat because Borja is going for more goals.

PABLO ROMERO

Editor of EL TIEMPO

@Pablo
RomeroET

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