Luis Advíncula: the importance of turning 30, playing for Boca and being an example in the national team

Pizarristas and anti-pizarristas, five years after his retirement, we can agree on one thing: the Peruvian striker was the only great source of pride for the Peruvian fans, of those who remained, who around 2000 grew old without knowing what it was like to qualify for a World Cup. In fact, each Bundesliga final, each Champions League win, was the closest thing to feeling in the elite. It wasn’t the World Cup, but it was being present in the world.

Twenty-three years later, and with only one Peruvian playing in the first division of one of the five most important leagues in the world -Renato Tapia-, the cable is seen in sports newsrooms to follow the career of Luis Advincula, former striker, World Cup winger, and today once again turned into an attacking piece for Boca Juniors. Pizarro is no longer there, nor is Vargas or Jefferson, Paolo is about to leave. The dimension of what is happening “with the Peruvian from Boca” can be explained with a brief Google search -his history, La Bombonera, Maradona, Riquelme- but this information is useful to understand it, in the context of the millions of Arabia and the MLS : Edison Cavani, Uruguayan striker, agreed to return to South America because the xeneize “is one of the biggest in the world.” El Matador knows great things: he played for Arsenal, Napoli, PSG. He didn’t have to give any praise because no one gave it to him.

Advíncula is his teammate and is, each date in which he plays the Argentine SuperLiga or defines his pass to the next phase of the Libertadores -on Wednesday night he drew 0-0 with Racing for the ticket to the quarterfinals of the cup-, the Peruvian magnet that attracts to schedule their matches, follow the networks of a foreign club, pay the STAR+ cable subscription. It is not his responsibility for the lack of other cracks, and on the contrary, his (re) revolution, conditioned to the demands of football where physics and tactics are designed in a laboratory, is a triple merit. I think of the aggressive criticism that fell on him in his early years, when instead of shooting a good cross, he would throw a rock. I think of the mysterious month that he spent in a Ukrainian club -Tavriya Simferopol- always affected by wars. I think about the penalty that he missed in the playoffs and how an ampay could leave him without Russia 2028.

And I think about what this 2023 means for Luis Advíncula. A footballer who, in his late 30s, understood that his career needed discipline and sacrifice, growth and intelligence; that this was the way to cross the screen and leave in the air the idea that now we return to see Argentine soccer with an obsession “because a Peruvian plays.” Selection days are coming and it must be said: Advíncula joins and is an example. And since we don’t have too many, we have to weigh them, triple.