After Chilavert, Paraguay’s eyes return to Strasbourg and Julio Enciso | OneFootball

Strasbourg’s performances are being watched closely in Paraguay, with Julio Enciso in Alsace at the centre of attention as the national team returns to the World Cup after 16 years. Strasbourg face PSG on Sunday at 20:45.

According to L'Équipe, former defender Paulo Da Silva acknowledges the weight of expectation, urges patience, yet believes Enciso, 22, is the future of the side. He says he is convinced Paraguay could surprise at the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, from 11 June to 19 July.

The view is widely held in a nation ranked 40th by FIFA and returning for a ninth finals. Libertad president Rubén Di Tore regards Enciso as a national idol who has reignited dreams, while commentator Rubén Dario Da Rosa rates him the biggest talent since Roque Santa Cruz, Salvador Cabanas and Oscar Cardozo.

Strasbourg are back under the Paraguayan spotlight more than two decades after José Luis Chilavert’s 2000 to 2002 spell in Alsace. Enciso’s camp says the Chilavert precedent did not factor in, only the sporting project.

With Joaquin Panichelli and Valentin Barco in Argentina and Kendry Paez’s curtailed loan in Ecuador also feeding interest, Racing are discussed daily in Paraguay. Former striker and now journalist Ramon Hicks says supporters pore over Enciso’s minutes and growth with this summer in mind.

Number 19 Strasbourg shirts are appearing more often. Carlos Jara Saguier, Paraguay’s coach at the 2024 Olympics, praises Enciso’s spectacular style and winning mentality, and says the country backs him from 10,000 km away.

Source: L'Équipe