Benedetto, on the verge of joining Barcelona de Ecuador | OneFootball

El Pipa, free after his lackluster stint at Newell’s, is in advanced negotiations to continue his career in Guayaquil. He would sign a one-year contract and would arrive to play the Playoff against Argentinos Juniors.

After several weeks of rumors and uncertainty, Darío Benedetto is very close to deciding on his new club, where he will look to regain his goal-scoring confidence after a forgettable spell at Newell’s. As a free agent and with his scoring touch gone, he is in advanced talks to become a new signing for Barcelona of Ecuador.

If the final details are ironed out, El Pipa would sign a one-season contract with the Guayaquil side, which will have to face the second phase of the Copa Libertadores Playoff against Argentinos Juniors in mid-February. At 35 years old and with vast experience in Argentina and abroad, he would represent a high-profile addition to strengthen their attack.

Benedetto has scored more than 150 goals in his career (166 to be exact), although it’s been almost two years since he last celebrated one. The last was in February 2024, when he scored against Tigre in the Copa de la Liga, still wearing Boca’s jersey. Since then, he has played 36 matches between Xeneize, Querétaro, Olimpia, and Newell’s without being able to celebrate.

In his previous spell in Rosario, he played nine matches, couldn’t break his bad luck, and to make matters worse, suffered various muscle injuries that kept him sidelined for several weeks. His last big chance came in the 3-0 defeat to Belgrano, when he missed a penalty and extended his long drought.

The unstoppable version of that striker who scored 71 goals in 172 matches wearing the blue and gold jersey and was even called up to the Argentina National Team is now a distant memory. Moreover, his last years have been marked by injuries, controversies, and internal conflicts, especially at Boca, such as his clash with Diego Martínez—remembered for the phrase “happy nights, sad mornings.”

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