- The Lebanese-born forward starred with a hat-trick in Cienciano's 6-1 victory over Botafogo in the first leg of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana Round of 16.
- With limited involvement during the Group Stage, the Lima-born forward came to the fore in the knockout stage, inspiring the biggest win by a Peruvian side against a Brazilian team in CONMEBOL competitions.
The tears in Matías Succar's eyes after the historic victory over Botafogo at the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega were tears of emotion, relief, joy and countless other feelings that reflected an arduous, hard-fought journey, built through sheer dedication, which has brought him to this dream moment and placed him firmly in the spotlight of South American football.
From his debut to a brief spell in Europe
His first steps in football came as a goalkeeper, a position he played in at Cantolao San Borja before joining Academia Cantolao, where he discovered that his real strength lay in scoring goals.
He made his professional debut with Deportivo Municipal, scoring 14 goals in 51 appearances — with a brief spell at Unión Comercio — before moving to Austrian football to join LASK. He made just one appearance, failed to establish himself and subsequently moved to Czech side FK Teplice, where he battled against relegation and scored once in just over 400 minutes on the pitch.
In mid-2022, he returned to Peru, joining Mannucci, where he found the confidence he had been searching for. Two impressive seasons, including 18 goals, opened the door to Alianza Lima in July 2024.
His roots and the call-up to the Peru national team
Succar could represent Lebanon through his paternal grandfather, or the United States through his mother's heritage. But he always had one clear ambition: to wear the red-and-white shirt and shine for Peru, unlike his brother Alexander — also a footballer — who did complete the paperwork to be eligible to play for the Lebanon national team.
In mid-2024, shortly before the Copa América, his dream became a reality. He was called up by Jorge Fossati to the Peru national team for a friendly against El Salvador.
Cienciano, a land of opportunity
The 'Inca' side opened its doors to him at the beginning of 2026 with two major objectives: the domestic league and the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, a competition the club famously won in 2003.
The outstanding form of experienced striker Carlos Garcés — who scored four goals in the Group Stage — initially left Succar on the bench. But the forward waited for his opportunity and stepped up when the team needed him most: Garcés was suspended for the first leg of the Round of 16 after accumulating yellow cards, leaving Succar as Argentine manager Horacio Melgarejo's first-choice replacement.
A hat-trick featuring two headers and a goal scored through sheer goalscoring instinct laid the foundations for a historic rout. Cienciano beat 'Fogão' 6-1 to record the biggest win by a Peruvian side against a Brazilian team in CONMEBOL competitions.
Succar also scored the first hat-trick of the current edition and became the first Peruvian player to score three goals in a single match in the history of the competition.
His tears moved the Garcilaso de la Vega crowd, which witnessed a memorable and unforgettable night reminiscent of those that took Cienciano to the top of the continent in 2003. The 'Imperiales' will now travel to Brazil to decide a tie that, on paper, appears to be firmly in their favour. The first step has been taken, and Succar was the chief architect of it.
