“Paolo today is not a lifesaver, he is a ‘9’ who needs a squad rich in talent”: How will Vallejo play with the captain of the national team?

There are moments when it seems as if Paolo Guerrero lived in constant denial. He is probably the best Peruvian ‘9’ in history. His influence with the national team can only produce endless chains of gratitude. However, at 40 years old, despite his international popularity, it is surreal to imagine that his phone had jammed with calls in recent days. He is no longer the striker who scored against Chelsea in the Club World Cup final or the double scorer in the 2011 and 2015 Copa América. Nor is he the thirty-year-old who honored his surname by leading the happy journey to Russia 2018.

There is an extra detail that has been mentioned little: Paolo is more of a selection attacker. Not even in his best moment was he the ‘9’ who led the transfer markets. And we better accompany this with statistics before Doña Peta’s son gets upset. In almost 20 years in First Division teams, Guerrero has scored an average of 10 goals per season. We can alleviate this data by recognizing that the ‘Depreador’ spent more than two years without playing between injuries and the FIFA sanction for doping. Still the record is far from overwhelming.

Key goals, of course, that he has added tirelessly. The moves to make a several-minute documentary with their most emotional celebrations are enough and more than enough. What was missing and what some clubs are looking for is consistency on a day-to-day basis. LDU coach Luis Zubeldía had that vision when he called Paolo. He had the team armed, with attackers included, but he needed a contribution from the hierarchy when the goal took a while to arrive.

That same reasoning led the negotiation between the UCV and Guerrero. The poet painting, before Lima Alliance, left the feeling that he will be able to compete at least among the top five in the local league table. They have a coach accustomed to playing final phases like Roberto Mosquera and a squad with long mileage. Paolo, I insist, does not save but rather complements.

To all this we must add that the team’s historic scorer will be a media plane for a club with a cold antenna. Social marketing, box offices, commercial agreements, all will be multiplied by two or three with Guerrero moving to the Mansiche. There is the challenge of validity: to continue adding goals, to grow the team’s likes, to ensure that everyone wins in the Trujillo store and that Jorge Fossati can look closely at the still direct substitute for Gianluca Lapadula in the bicolor. There are reasons to continue fighting, Paolo. If there is a verse from Vallejo that the veteran Guerrero should repeat, it is: “Today I like life much less, but I always like to live”. She has gone through impossible happiness and the worst days. Paolo Guerrero carries all the emotions in his luggage, however he is not tired yet. He prefers to feed on the mystery of new days. He is a football optimist who doesn’t want to leave.