- The Ecuadorian enjoyed his first great night as a Boca player against Racing in the Copa Argentina.
- The CONMEBOL Sudamericana’s top scorer with Emelec in 2013, he now faces a new continental challenge with the 'Xeneize'.
When Enner Valencia stepped onto the pitch at the Gigante de Arroyito, Boca were trailing Racing Club 2-0 in the Copa Argentina Quarter-finals, with one of the four objectives Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s side will pursue before the end of the year slipping away. Beyond the result itself, defeat threatened to undermine the team’s prospects: recovering from a blow of that magnitude is never straightforward.
By the final whistle, however, La Boca had crowned a new hero. Enner Valencia came on in the 57th minute and scored three goals in the space of 23 minutes to complete the comeback and send Boca through. It was an unforgettable script, with three headers delivering the latest heroic feat for Arruabarrena’s side. At 36, Enner had begun writing a new legend in a career already filled with significant milestones.
The performance came at an opportune moment for Enner and for a Boca side determined to claim another title. The 'Xeneize' remain in contention on all four fronts: having reached the Copa Argentina Semi-finals, where they will face Banfield, they are also competing for Argentina’s annual league title, the 2026 Clausura and the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, with Vasco da Gama awaiting them in the Semi-finals. Ahead of an intense run-in packed with challenges, Rodolfo Arruabarrena has found a decisive option among his attacking alternatives. Their next continental test begins on 13 October in Buenos Aires and will be settled a week later in Brazil.
“This is unforgettable. It’s one of the best moments of my career,” he told TyC Sports after the comeback against Racing. Those words carry weight for a player who arrived in Argentina with extensive international experience. They also help explain what that night meant after a settling-in period that, as Enner himself explained, involved building up his fitness and trying to find his place in an already established squad.
The hat-trick took his tally in a Boca shirt to four goals. His first had come on 11 September in the 3-1 victory over Central Córdoba at La Bombonera. On that occasion, he arrived at the far post to turn in Dylan Gorosito’s low cross with his left foot. As well as opening his account, he became the first Ecuadorian to score for Boca.
Against Racing, his contribution took a different form: all three goals were headers. Valencia found space inside the box, won his aerial battles and remained a threat deep into stoppage time, scoring the winner in one of the final moments of the match. That sequence showcased qualities that could prove particularly valuable in a knockout tie: his presence between the centre-backs, his ability to attack the crosses Boca regularly deliver from wide areas through Lautaro Blanco, Sebastián Villa, Leonel Flores and Leandro Lozano, and the quality, personality and character to give the team another match-winning option in difficult situations.
Arruabarrena emphasised what that performance could mean for the striker and the squad: “Those three goals will do him and everyone good.” He also highlighted the difficulty of coming into a match that already has its own rhythm and the importance of having options capable of changing it. Recognition also came from the dressing room: Leandro Paredes, Boca’s inspirational captain, handed Valencia the Player of the Match award he had received from the broadcaster.
Boca had announced his signing on 9 August, on a contract running until December 2027. The 36-year-old forward arrived from Pachuca after playing in his third World Cup with Ecuador, having previously represented Emelec, West Ham United, Everton, Tigres, Fenerbahçe and Internacional. His country’s all-time leading scorer was embarking on another chapter in his career.
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana features early in that story. In 2013, before his spells in Mexico and Europe, Valencia finished as the competition’s top scorer with five goals for Emelec. He achieved that despite the Ecuadorian side’s elimination in the Second Stage. Thirteen years later, he returns to the competition at a different point in his career, bringing a wealth of experience and a reputation built on goals. With Vasco da Gama providing his next international test, that night in Rosario left Arruabarrena in no doubt: Valencia can provide an answer even when a match appears to be slipping away.
