Rafael Borré wrote a chapter in the history of the Gre-Intclassic between Internacional and Gremio of Brazil. In his first classic, the Colombian forward achieved a 1-0 victory over Gremio.
The culmination of the effort to recover from the injury to his left thigh and his relationship with the fans. Not only with the goal of the match, but with the imitation of Saci, the club’s mascot, in a tribute to his compatriot Wason Rentería, champion of the 2006 Libertadores.
Rafael Santos Borré wins the affection of the fans in Brazil
Eternity in Gre-Int came 21 minutes into the second half. After a collective play, Borré headed Bernabei’s shot and sent it to the back of the net.
The long-awaited goal was scored in front of the 46,000 Colorado fans present at the Beira-Rio out of a total of 48,049.
Ecstatic, the attacker jumped over the advertising billboard and disappeared into the smoke behind the goal.
In front of the fans, the traditional greeting was accompanied by a new celebration. Borré threw back his left leg and jumped like Saci. The celebration was a tribute to Rentería, who imitated the club’s mascot after his goals between 2005 and 2006.
The stories complete each other. On October 19, number 19 repeated the gesture of his compatriot, who used the same number in the Rio Grande do Sul club’s first Libertadores title.
All that was left was to listen to the Popular song sung by Rentería adapted to him: «Rafael Borré, it’s us (sic)! Like Colombia, like Colombia, like Colombia«.
– It was for Wason, it was for Wason! During the week many of their situations appeared to me, the celebration. I wanted to pay tribute to him because I know that he was an important scorer here and helped Inter a lot. – Borré revealed in an interview.
The love for Rentería was planned. In an interview with current sporting director D’Alessandro in August, Borré recalled his compatriot’s history with the now coach and said he would reserve the celebration for a “special moment.”
The tribute was also a celebration of recovery. Borré was coming off a muscle injury in his left thigh, which kept him out since the 2-2 draw against Bragantino on September 25.
To remain available, the attacker even underwent additional physical therapy sessions with a hired professional. Borré worked at night to complement the treatment carried out at the Parque Gigante Training Center.
It worked. The Colombian scored in four of the last five games he played and reached seven goals in the Brasileirão, tied with Wesley as the team’s top scorer in the competition, four behind Pedro, who remains the top scorer.
Even so, he won the competition for the position of Inter’s top scorer in 2024. He tied Wesley himself, Alan Patrick and Enner Valencia, all with nine this season.
The Colombian’s opportunism will be essential for Inter to continue in search of a place in the G-4 of the Brasileirão. Colorado is in sixth place with 49 points, one behind São Paulo, fifth and two behind Flamengo, the fourth and last that would guarantee qualification to the group stage of Conmebol Libertadores 2025.
Read more: Rafael Santos Borré becomes Inter’s top scorer in the Roger era.
