- The 'León' forwards shared the pitch at international level once again and played a vital role in their side's progress to the quarter-finals of the CONMEBOL Libertadores.
- Estudiantes de La Plata, who will face Corinthians in the next round, have found in the duo another reason to dream of lifting the continent's most prestigious trophy.
Guido Carrillo and Joaquín Correa came through the 'Pincha' academy, forged a relationship that extended beyond the pitch, shone together before moving to Europe and, more than a decade later, reunited at the club they love to resume a journey with one clear ultimate objective: the Gloria Eterna.
On 16 June 2012, while still youngsters, they played their first match together in Estudiantes colours. It came in a 1-0 victory over Olimpo de Bahía Blanca on matchday 18 of the Argentine Torneo Clausura. Both came off the bench and spent only a handful of seconds on the pitch, but they were already displaying some of the qualities that would define their careers.
Their impressive and unexpected performances in the top flight turned them, despite their young age, into key figures in Mauricio Pellegrino's Estudiantes side. Carrillo, captain at just 23, and Correa were instrumental in their team's run in the 2014 CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
In a memorable tie, they eliminated historic local rivals Gimnasia de La Plata in the second round and excelled in the Round of 16 against Peñarol: both scored in the first-leg victory, while Carrillo netted the 'Pincha's' only goal in the return leg before helping settle the tie in the penalty shoot-out. In the quarter-finals, they were knocked out by River Plate, the eventual champions, who ended their continental dream one month before 'Tucu' Correa moved to Italian side Sampdoria.
If twelve years later I find you again...
Carrillo returned to Estudiantes at the beginning of 2023 and his experience and quality quickly proved decisive. Since then, he has won five domestic titles and brought the best out of each of the teammates he has shared the forward line with. But he would have to wait a little longer to form an explosive partnership with Correa once again. After an impressive spell in Europe — and winning a Copa América with Argentina — Joaquín confirmed the news everyone had been waiting for: his return to Estudiantes was no longer a dream, but a reality.
And, fittingly, two of the 'León's' most prominent academy products of recent years reunited on the perfect stage: CONMEBOL Libertadores nights. The second leg of the tie against Universidad Católica in Chile struck a powerful emotional chord with Estudiantes supporters: Correa opened the scoring and played a direct role in both of Carrillo's goals in the 3-0 victory. The prodigal sons had returned to reaffirm their importance on the demanding and enchanting nights of continental football.
The captain and leading goalscorer has now scored 14 goals for Estudiantes in the continent's most prestigious club competition, overtaking Juan Ramón Verón and Mauro Boselli to become the club's all-time leading scorer in the tournament. His partnership with Correa proved fundamental: the two forwards have known each other since childhood and speak the same footballing language.
Alexander Medina's side will face Corinthians in the next round. The two clubs have met twice before, also in the quarter-finals but of the 2023 CONMEBOL Sudamericana: the 'Timão' prevailed on penalties after the tie finished 1-1 on aggregate.
