Superclásico rivals beef up with two World Cup players as reinforcements

Buenos Aires Herald reports that Argentine football's two biggest rivals are doubling down on World Cup talent just weeks after the 2026 tournament ended. Boca Juniors signed Ecuador's Enner Valencia, a thirty-six-year-old striker and his country's all-time leading goalscorer, on a free transfer from Mexico's Pachuca. On Saturday, River Plate announced the signing of Argentine creative midfielder Thiago Almada from Spanish club Atlético Madrid for just over twenty million euros, making him the most expensive signing in Argentine football history. The twenty-five-year-old Almada, a World Cup winner at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, struggled at Atlético Madrid this season with limited minutes and only four goals in eighteen games. His arrival gives River a creative spark as the club looks to reinvigorate its offense.

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