University | Alex Valera: Why is the Peruvian top scorer of the last four years still in Ligue 1? | Soccer-Peruvian

Cream '9' established himself as the national top scorer in the Peruvian competition for the first time last season with 15 goals. Although this achievement has allowed him to maintain an average of 11 goals a season, it still seems not enough to pack his bags and improve his career outside our borders. His consistency in scoring goals puts him above the likes of Alejandro Hohberg, Luis Iberico, Janio Posito and Luis Benitez. Only the second in the list managed to advance overseas.

Game data Apart from a brief chat with Al Fateh of the Saudi Arabian Pro League, Alex Valera tried to explain the question of why he is yet to attract the attention of foreign clubs as an attractive player. We have identified three key aspects to analyze: the declining statistical appeal of his numbers, his limited participation in the 2026 qualifiers with the Peruvian national team and the consideration of his age.

Alex Valera's numbers

To analyze Alex Valera's progress as a goalscorer over the years, we can observe the evolution of the number of goals scored each year since his debut in Ligue 1. In his first year, Valera has already shown his ability to score goals. Not very high (9). It suggested a promising, but spectacular start. In 2021, there was an increase in the number of targets. This improvement was important because this time the goals were scored with a Universitario shirt on. In the 2022 season, he may have had one of his best years as he scored 12 goals in the semi-championship that took him to Al-Fateh. And in 2023, as mentioned above, he scored 15 goals, his best record as a professional.

The age of playing against

Alex Valera's numbers and consistency in scoring are remarkable. In comparison to other South American countries, with the exception of Brazil and Argentina, when examining the exchanges of historically significant forwards, only one player, Brian Angulo, managed to record more than 20 goals and points in his last season.

What these footballers share is that they got their first significant contract abroad between the ages of 20 and 23 and never looked back. Young South American forwards are very attractive from abroad. Alex Valera, at the age of 27, will face a hurdle in finding a major club abroad willing to invest in his services.

This phenomenon is also evident in our local football. First, he joined Matias Sukar at the age of 22 to Lask in Austria and last year moved 25-year-old Luis Iberico to Riga FC in Latvia. Despite the international experience, the overseas trend continues to lean towards young players.

Peru has no place in the national team

It took Alex Valera less than a year to be called up to the Peruvian national team. Ricardo Gareca invited him to participate in the 2022 qualifiers. However, he was unable to make his debut in qualifying in 2020; He had to wait until the 2021 Copa America to do so. In that continental tournament, he rarely failed to score in two games, which continued in the following official games, adding five more games without a goal. In contrast, he has played six matches and scored three goals in friendlies.

Alex Valera's limited participation in official fights with the Peruvian team is undoubtedly one of the reasons why he has not attracted the interest of important clubs abroad. Qualifiers and the Copa America represent important showcase matches for completing transfers, and if you don't stand out in these competitions, your chances of securing a contract abroad will diminish. Currently, Valera faces a complicated outlook, especially after Paulo Guerrero and Gianluca Lapatula established themselves in the national attack.

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