There are plenty of examples that came in the wake of Cano. Today we have Vegetti (Vasco), Lucero (Fortaleza), Alario (Inter) and Dinenno (Cruzeiro) bringing together practically the same attributes. Mastriani, from Athletico Paranaense, is also very similar, however, Uruguayan.
Martín Lucero, 32 years old, arrived in Brazil in January 2023 to defend Fortaleza from Colo-Colo, in Chile. There, the Argentine had scored 24 goals in 39 matches. In the curriculum, teams like Independiente, Vélez, Defensa y Justicia and Tijuana (MEX). In his first season he scored the same 24 goals as for Chile, and this year he has already scored 11 goals in the net, including two against Boca Juniors on Thursday (25).
In the same year, Pablo Vegetti, 35 years old, arrived in Brazil. A goalscorer in the Argentine Championship, he had spent time at clubs such as Belgrano, Instituto and Colón in his country. In addition to a short journey in Chile. He quickly established himself at Vasco, scoring 10 goals last year, and eight more this season.
This year it was Cruzeiro’s turn to bet on Juan Ignacio Dinenno, 29 years old, whose trajectory points to clubs in Mexico and Colombia. The best-known of them all arrived at Internacional: Lucas Alario, 31 years old, who, unlike other foreigners, was successful at River Plate and went to football in Germany, but had been out of the spotlight for some time due to injuries.
Brazil stopped producing these traditional number 9 shirts some time ago. When you look at the team, you realize that they are players who move in the offensive sector or even fall on the wings. Argentina, on the contrary, produces fewer wing players and many more central players. These old 9 shirts end up delivering a lot, especially on teams that are less successful from a tactical point of view. Maybe this is the reason why Brazil looks for so many center forwards there, because the teams are not well constructed from a tactical point of view due to the constant change of coaches and they need a guarantee inside the area, someone who can give you some goals and points, even if you don’t participate much in the game.
Rafael Reis, UOL columnist
