David blossomed, Lautaro shadow of Messi and the Gimenez mystery: the World Cup of number 9s

The world in reverse, yet we are in the same Northern hemisphere, just a few hours (and goals) apart. In Toronto, Jonathan David overwhelms Qatar with three goals and all from a true center forward, but it’s not an illusion: it’s him, he’s just found the long hair he abandoned for braids at Juve and he doesn’t shout his joy at the hat-trick just because he just cried after the terrible accident in Koné. Lautaro, on the other hand, is suffering a bit as he didn’t score against Algeria but, like everyone in the Seleccion, he assisted the most inspired Messi in recent years in yet another goal: now he fears risking his place as happened in Qatar, again after the first matchday. Julian Alvarez has already warmed up the relay. And then there is Santiago Gimenez, definitely Mexico’s third striker, if not fourth. At least against South Korea he came on and touched 9 balls in 17 minutes, including injury time, but many didn’t notice. The almost namesake Jimenez is currently perfect paired with the beastly Quiñones.

three for Juventus

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It’s not the first time David has scored three goals. He succeeded against Cuba in 2019 and Suriname two years later. David is a mystery. He scored 42 goals in 79 appearances for Canada, more than one every two matches, and in the Champions League he scored 16, beating Real Madrid, Atletico, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord and Juve. Exactly, how can you not take someone so free? Juve takes him and realizes that the movements are elegant, almost from a 9 behind, in front of the area he exchanges which is a pleasure, but he misses easy supports from the bank (on more than one occasion Juve paid for the re-aggression). And he can’t do the ward alone, he’s physically limited. At Juventus they think he has little fire inside. Kolo Muani is in the sights, at least two strikers will be needed, if Vlahovic doesn’t make a comeback, David could also become interesting but not as a 9. With Larin, the central beast, another story. And of course there was an unwatchable Qatar in front of him… He wants to stay, but if he continues like this, selling him won’t be a problem.

leader only at inter

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If you play with Messi you know that you can win two World Cups in a row, but the showcase is all for him. At most you can be his Burruchaga, as it was in 1986 for Maradona. Messi needs a striker next to him who works for him, and it’s a pleasure to do so, God forbid. In Qatar, Scaloni had started with Lautaro but, after Arabia, the inversion: space for Julian Alvarez who maneuvers more, acts as a glue with the midfield, while Lautaro would be better off circling Lukaku. But let’s say things as they are: it’s only the first match, Lautaro is a luxury for any national team, he has already entered Inter’s history with 175 goals, captain, twice Champions League finalist, and in any case he is the fourth scorer of all time for Argentina after Messi, Batistuta and Aguero. He just has to think that, outside Inter, where he is the leader, Messi is in charge. And don’t get depressed about the alternation with Julian. Argentina’s horizon includes eight matches.

a gimenez from milan

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More mysterious than David is only the Mexican Santiago Gimenez. Purchased in February 2025 for 30 million and immediately on the pitch against his former team, Feyenoord, in the Champions League playoffs. He scored after 38″ in the second leg, but it wasn’t enough to qualify for the round of 16. He scored a lot in Holland, 65 goals in 105 games, he seemed like the classic 9 in the area, physically powerful, the one who would solve Milan’s attacking problems. When ever. A good start but a slow dispersion. He never really joined Milan. Six goals in the first half-season, just one in the last. He got sad, even though he did a little before the World Cup the braggart saying that he could have been the goalscorer for three more years, he is looking for a new team, it is likely that Milan will try to loan him out at the end of the transfer window…