He received the ball on the left, after a bad clearance from the rival defense. He was in three quarters of the field. He walked a few yards and slashed back, as if he had to set up his right profile to send the cross. Suddenly, he turned, stepped on the ball and went forward again. Passing the position of the Patronato forward marker, he sent in a left-footed cross: low, backwards and directed to the penalty spot, where Benedetto appeared to define first.
In the world of soccer, strikers are usually the most expensive and recognized players. Probably, because they specify or facilitate the realization of the most difficult thing in the game: reaching the goal. What is the value to the team, then, of a footballer who is likely to contribute to that goal and also defend it? In that category, In the present champion xeneize one stands out, above the rest.
Jorge Nicholas Figal He is a footballer who plays as a central marker but in the last three games he has scored two goals and an assist to open a game. True, Figal has an offensive base. He reached the lower divisions of Independiente playing as an attacker, before Pancho Sá invited him to become a defender.
This is how he made his professional debut in the First Division, back in August 2014, playing as a striker and won two international titles: the Sudamericana 2017 and the Suruga Bank 2018.
the defender of Boca is the demonstration of a versatile footballer. In his later years playing in MLS he added an extra dynamic to his game and as time went on he also gained in maturity. At Inter Miami he was changing his position and scheme depending on the designs of the coach on duty.
The difference between what was intended by the Uruguayan Diego Alonso in 2020 and the Englishman Phil Neville in 2021 opened up a range of possibilities and schemes. From central midfielder to libero, he went through all sectors in defense: He played right back in a back four and reverse stopper in a back three.
The pace and intensity of MLS enhances their one-on-one capabilities. During the 3,849 minutes, in 46 games he played in the North American League, in 2020 and 2021, he received twelve yellow cards and one red card. Sometimes his impetus to recover and the number of spaces that his team presented in the setback led him to receive several warnings despite not being a violent player. In the opposite arc, he only scored one goal.
Today, in Boca, he is the best player in duels won and he also added preponderance in the opposite area. In a football where the figure of the defender with total freedom on the field is very rare, Figal surprises you by overflowing as a left winger in the Cup Winners’ Cup final against Patronato. Boca won and came out champion. Figal was the figure.
