Merentiel equals legends' record with goal against River | OneFootball

Throughout history, countless players have managed to win the hearts of Boca fans by scoring against River in the Superclásico. Several have managed to do it twice, and a select group of footballers are remembered for their dominance over the eternal rival, where it always seemed like they would celebrate at least one goal in every match—regardless of whether it was at La Bombonera or El Monumental.

With last Sunday’s 2-0 victory at the J. Armando Stadium, Exequiel Zeballos and Miguel Merentiel secured their place in Boca’s illustrious history. Changuito for scoring his first goal in a Superclásico, while La Bestia continues to climb the ranks in the all-time table. He matched a record held by several idols and legends of the club.

The 29-year-old Uruguayan striker reached his fourth goal against the Millonario. A record that, until now, belonged to names that are surely well known in the Boca world. He climbed to the same level as players of the caliber of Ángel Clemente Rojas, Carlos Tevez, Juan Román Riquelme, Alfredo Graciani, Norberto Madurga, Oscar Pianetti, Marcelo Delgado, Sergio Martínez, Ricardo Gareca, Juan José Rodríguez, José Yudica, Claudio Paul Caniggia, Pedro Mansilla, and Domingo Tarasconi.

But as if that weren’t enough, Miguel Merentiel continues to make history and win over the hearts of all the fans. His iconic machine-gun celebration against River has not only been repeated four times, but he has also become Boca’s top scorer in official Superclásico matches during the 21st century (2001-2025). He achieved this in just six matches, equaling the tally of Guillermo Barros Schelotto (in 12 matches), Martín Palermo (in 13 matches), and Carlitos (in 20 matches).

The goal-scoring journey of the Paysandú native against the Núñez side began on April 21, 2024, in the memorable Copa de la Liga quarterfinal match, which Boca won 3-2 under Diego Martínez. He scored twice and was immortalized for his incredible performance at the Mario Alberto Kempes.

Merentiel scored twice against River in Córdoba. Photo: Gerónimo Marino

On April 27, 2025, a month that seems to be ideal for Miguel Merentiel to score against River, he added his third goal in a Superclásico. It came in a 2-1 defeat at El Monumental, during the Torneo Apertura, where he finished smoothly past Franco Armani after capitalizing on a defensive error.

La Bestia and his third goal against River, at El Monumental.

The fourth came on November 9 at La Bombonera, in a 2-0 victory in the Torneo Clausura. With singer Dua Lipa in attendance—who enjoyed, went wild, and sang along like any other fan—Miguel Merentiel netted his fourth goal against the Millonario. A win with a special flavor, as it secured qualification for the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.

With his goal on Sunday, Merentiel set a record in the Superclásicos. Photo: Gerónimo Marino.

With his four goals in six matches against River, the Uruguayan striker is now five goals away from matching Boca’s all-time top scorer, Martín Palermo, and six away from becoming the player with the most goals against the eternal rival. For now, the record belongs to Brazilian Paulo Valentim, with 10 goals in seven matches.

Miguel Merentiel’s Numbers at Boca

Miguel Merentiel arrived at Boca in January 2023, initially on loan. But in November of that year, the management exercised the purchase option and paid 3 million dollars for his transfer, making it one of the greatest successes of Juan Román Riquelme’s administration. And, as expected, La Bestia responded with goals and the fans adore him.

Matches played: 139

Goals: 48

Assists: 16

In 2025:

Matches played: 40

Goals: 13

Assists: 4

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.