Fernando Romero Nuñez 
The 2023 Argentine football season came to a close when River Plate beat Rosario Central 2-0 on December 22 to win the Trofeo de Campeones, its second title of the year. With the new season still far away, this is just the time to put out our list of the year’s best goals.
Top drawer
New River Plate head coach Martín Demichelis largely pulled off the tricky act of succeeding Marcelo Gallardo’s historic tenure at the helm of the Millonario. Combining some of the old and some of the new to create the best team in Argentine football, and despite disappointments in the Copa Libertadores, Demichelis’s team was crowned Liga Profesional champions.
That came in no small part thanks to quality efforts like this one by Uruguayan midfielder Nicolás de la Cruz, who put the ball in the top corner of the goal from a long way out to give River the lead against Colon.
Slalom dribble
Another big winner in 2023 was Rosario Central. The team led by Miguel Ángel Russo challenged for the Copa de la Liga after a middle-of-the-road campaign in the league.
Determined to win the title, it was the quality of players like Maximiliano Lovera that got it over the line. In this goal, the talented forward picked up the ball far away from the goal and managed to dribble past three opponents to score and give the Canalla the lead in the final against Platense.
Olympic affairs
Cordobese outfit Belgrano was undoubtedly another of the season’s surprises, as it made a return to the First Division after three years. It managed to put together some excellent performances, and next season it will be playing in the Copa Sudamericana, South American football’s second-most important continental trophy.
Their success was due in large part to the boldness of their players, who attempted plays many would think twice about. Orthodoxy says you cross the ball from a corner, but midfielder Matías García wasn’t about to let that stop him. Against Unión de Santa Fe, he curled the ball with his left foot and scored what’s known as an “olympic” goal.
Team efforts
Although football superstars often take all of the spotlight, we shouldn’t forget that this is a team sport, and Boca Juniors showed precisely that with their best goal of the season.
The Xeneize might have missed out on a seventh Copa Libertadores title in 2023, but the team coached by Jorge Almirón still scored some bangers, like this effort incredibly wrapped up by Exequiel Zeballos.
Saving acrobatics
It was a difficult tournament for Vélez Sarsfield, who were embroiled in the battle against relegation for most of the season. The Fortín were saved in no small part thanks to the efforts of their young forward, Santiago Castro.
It was the youngster himself who, in a tightly contested game against Arsenal, scored the winning goal with an incredible acrobatic move in the dying moments of the game.
