After missing his flight and being cut from the team at Coritiba, midfielder makes history for Paraguay

The performance against Germany was another outstanding performance by Galarza at the World Cup. After not leaving the bench on his debut, in the 4-1 defeat to the United States, the midfielder gained space in the Paraguayan team and became an important player. Against Turkey, in the second round, he scored Paraguay’s winning goal and was named the best player of the match by FIFA.

In the round of 32 match, the player assisted Julio Enciso’s goal, which opened the scoring for Paraguay in the first half. Germany equalized with Kai Havertz, but stopped the Paraguayan resistance during extra time.

On the field, Galarza played in a deeper role on the left side and engaged in direct duels with Jamal Musiala, Bayern Munich’s attacking midfielder and number 10 for the German national team.

Career in the national team began at Coritiba

Now playing 17 games for Paraguay’s senior team, Galarza began his career at Albiroja while playing for Coritiba. In August 2022, the midfielder was called up by coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto for friendlies against Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Previously, in June of that year, he had also been called up, but ended up being cut from the list for the games against Japan and South Korea after missing his introduction flight to the national team.

At the time, the call-up drew attention because Galarza still had few games for Coritiba. The call, however, was also related to the player’s history in Paraguay’s youth categories. The midfielder had already played for the country’s under-15 and under-17 teams.

Revealed by Olimpia, from Paraguay, Matías Galarza arrived early in Brazilian football. In 2020, he agreed with Vasco, still at 18 years old. At the Rio club, he gained ground in 2021, when he played 36 matches, scored three goals and provided three assists.

In 2022, he lost space at Vasco and was loaned to Coritiba. Coxa announced the signing of the midfielder in April of that year, with a contract until the end of the season. At Alto da Glória, Galarza competed for a position in a midfield that included names like Andrey, now at Santa Cruz, Bruno Gomes, currently at Internacional, and Jesús Trindade, who plays for Peñarol, from Uruguay. For Coritiba, he entered the field 11 times and did not score goals.

Despite his discreet time at the club, it was precisely by wearing the alviverde shirt that Galarza began to write his story in the Paraguayan main team. Afterwards, the player also played for Talleres and River Plate, in Argentina, and currently plays for Atlanta United, in the United States. Check out the best sites to bet on the World Cup and the best predictions for Brazil x Japan.