- Merentiel scored Boca Juniors’ third goal in their 4-0 victory over Recoleta in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Round of 16.
- After ending his goalscoring drought in domestic competition, he carried his good form onto the international stage.
Miguel Merentiel is always there. His name has been one of the constants at Boca over the past three years, ever since making his debut against Central Córdoba in February 2023. Since then, despite several high-profile and accomplished forwards arriving at 'La Bombonera', Merentiel has always found his place, scoring decisive goals in crucial moments. His mark on the club’s history is already indelible: he is the second-highest-scoring Uruguayan in Boca history, behind Sergio 'Manteca' Martínez (87 goals), and ranks fourth among the club’s foreign goalscorers, behind Delfín Benítez Cáceres (114), Martínez and Brazilian Paulo Valentim (71).
The numbers speak for themselves: he has scored 59 goals in 174 appearances in the blue and gold shirt. 'La Bestia', as he has been nicknamed at the club, has produced memorable goals, including strikes in Superclásicos against River Plate and against Bayern Munich at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Those contributions have made him one of the favourites among the 'Xeneize' faithful, who have on more than one occasion serenaded him with their famous chant of “Uruguayo, uruguayo”. Always backed by the supporters, he has continued to receive their support even during the barren spells that every goalscorer naturally goes through.
With Rodolfo Arruabarrena returning as Boca Juniors head coach and introducing a new system, Merentiel began the second half of the season in a different role from the one he was accustomed to. Usually deployed as a second striker, he was asked to operate as the lone forward and the team’s main attacking reference, taking on the responsibilities of a traditional number nine. Adapting to the new set-up required him to embrace different duties in order to support the team’s collective play, a selfless contribution that, however, was not accompanied by goals during a six-match scoring drought.
"I know it’s not the position he feels most comfortable in, but he’s adapting to it. He’s a player who brings a lot to the team and, of course, I would have liked him to score because he needs it. Every striker needs goals. He works, he works very well, he does everything. His moment will come, it will come. What he mustn’t do is rush or get desperate," Arruabarrena explained after the first leg of the Round of 16 tie against Recoleta. Boca had won 3-1 and Merentiel had created several goalscoring opportunities for his team-mates, but had been unable to find the net himself.
And that moment did not take long to arrive. In Boca Juniors’ next match, away to Platense on Matchday 5 of the Argentine Clausura, the 'Calamar' were leading 1-0 when the goalscorer re-emerged at his best. Having come on at half-time in place of Leandro Paredes, Merentiel reacted after Santiago Ascacibar headed the ball down, taking one touch to control before calmly finishing with his second as the opposing goalkeeper rushed off his line.
After ending his goalless run, Merentiel returned to the starting XI for the visit to Recoleta and extended his scoring streak. With Boca 2-0 ahead, young midfielder Milton Delgado won possession in midfield and threaded a pass through for 'La Bestia'. Merentiel battled for the ball, nutmegged a defender and found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Nelson Ferreira. He shaped to shoot before delicately lifting the ball over the advancing keeper to make it 3-0 and score in a second consecutive match.
