Leonel Flores has etched his name into local football folklore by turning out for Boca Juniors and the Argentina national team across consecutive days. The 19-year-old winger followed up a decisive league brace at La Bombonera by featuring for Lionel Scaloni's side the very next day, capping off a remarkable week of personal progress.
Introduced in the second half with his side narrowly ahead, Flores immediately shifted the momentum in front of the home crowd at La Bombonera. He doubled the advantage in the 83rd minute from an Enner Valencia assist before finishing off a solo counter-attack in stoppage time to seal a 3-0 victory. The substitute's quickfire brace drew rapturous acclaim from the supporters while extending Boca's unbeaten sequence to 16 matches in all competitions.
Back in Blue and White
Without taking time to recover after featuring for Boca, Flores was handed the entire second half by Scaloni against Burkina Faso at the Estadio Monumental. Operating with trademark audacity down the left flank, the 19-year-old was directly involved in the build-up to Argentina's final two goals. Although denied a goal of his own, his energetic display built on an impressive showing that had already earned praise from Arruabarrena and Scaloni.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
The commanding win over Union lifted Rodolfo Arruabarrena's side to second place in the Torneo Clausura Zone A standings with 20 points from 11 matches. That positive result significantly boosts their prospects of advancing to the knockout phase of the domestic campaign. For Flores, successfully handling the demands of club and country over a single weekend underlines the mature mentality required to compete at the very highest level of professional football.