The lack of new strikers for the Peru team is a problem that has dragged on for years. Gianluca Lapadula is the starter and is at a good level, but his main substitutes haven’t been able to solidify in the team yet. On the other hand, Paolo Guerrero is already 39 years old and won’t be able to count on him much longer. Given this situation, a few years ago the name of a young “9”, compared to the “Predator”, was very popular: Sebastian Gonzales.
Sebastián Gonzales Zela – his first name is not a compound name worth clarifying – made his professional debut with Sport Boys in the 2018 Clausura after playing in the reserves. At 1.86m tall and with a biotype of ‘9’ in the box, he quickly caught the attention of the fans as he started scoring some goals in the pink jersey. However, his relationship with the Boys did not end well.
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Sebastián Gonzales: his time at Sport Boys and his move to Alianza Lima
Sebastián Gonzales was the main striker for Peru in the 2019 South America U20 side, in which the side narrowly won the opening game against Uruguay. This year it started to have more continuity. Gonzales came on as a substitute for Colombian Luis Peralta at Apertura but after his departure got used to playing alongside Sebastián Penco when the side played with two forwards.
The young Peruvian striker only scored three goals (two in League 1 and one in the Bicentenary); he also played 1063 minutes in 20 games. Regardless of the numbers, he has performed well overall. That prompted Alianza Lima to take an interest in him. This led to Gonzales and his agent getting in trouble with the Sport Boys because the player still had a contract with the Rosés for the whole of 2020.
Sebastián Gonzales scored one of his best goals against Sporting Cristal in the 2019 Bicentennial Cup. Photo: GLR archives
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The situation got so complicated that the club said at the time they would file a complaint against Sebastián Gonzales, who was announced by Alianza in January when he was reportedly still a boy’s player. Finally, in March, both parties reached an agreement and the striker left the institution without any problems, which, however, led to the rejection of many “Misilera” fans.
What happened to Sebastian Gonzales?
Sebastián Gonzales was hired from Alianza Lima but was loaned to San Martín for the entirety of 2020. He started having regularity with the Saints when the championship returned after the pandemic-related hiatus. He started every game in Phase 2 but could only score three goals. His return to the Alianza in 2021 hasn’t been the most fruitful: he made just nine appearances, failed to score and was almost always a substitute.
Gonzales’ last season in League 1 was in 2022 with Ayacucho FC. He played 24 games, but only a few minutes in many of them. He scored only two goals and his team lost the category. The ex-Boys is currently on loan at Deportivo Coopsol from Liga 2, a team in which he is also not the undisputed regular.
Sebastián Gonzales is 23 years old and is playing his first season in Liga 2. Photo: Deportivo Coopsol