Agustín Módica scores hat trick against Gimnasia La Plata, tops Clausura 2026 scoring chart with 8 goals

Three goals at Gimnasia La Plata's stadium don't happen every day. Even less so when the final score ends up a tight 3-2 for the visiting side. That's exactly what Agustín Módica delivered on the final matchday of the Clausura 2026, a hat trick that shot him to the top of the tournament's scoring chart with 8 goals, double any of his closest pursuers.

The Gimnasia de Mendoza forward doesn't just find the net, he also pulls his team up the table with him. With this win, the Mendoza-based "Lobo" climbed to third place in Zone A, just one point behind leaders Instituto, and now faces two tough tests against Independiente and Boca. Not bad for a club that isn't usually the talk of the league at midseason. The curious thing about Módica is that, despite being raised almost entirely in Rosario, he wasn't born there. He came into the world in Pietra Ligure, a small coastal town in the province of Savona, Italy. The explanation has to do with his father's career: Pablo Módica, a former player for Central Córdoba and Argentino de Rosario. "When I was born my dad was playing in Italian soccer, so they decided to have me there. A year later we moved back to Rosario, but the birth stayed there," the forward told SportsCenter.

That birth detail isn't just a fun fact, it also makes him eligible to play for Italy's Azzurri, following the same path Mateo Retegui already took. But Módica prefers not to rush things: "You have to stay calm, do things right, keep training as hard as possible and keep scoring goals. Every player dreams of the national team, but you have to take it slow, with a lot of hard work. If the chance comes, it's welcome."

Russo's mark and Di María's return

Before arriving in Mendoza, Módica came up through Rosario Central's youth system, the club where he made his debut under Miguel Ángel Russo. His relationship with the legendary coach, who passed away a few months ago, remains burned into his memory:

Miguel gave me so much, he was like a father to me. When he had to chew me out he chewed me out, when he had to praise me he praised me. I'll always be grateful to him for giving me my first-team debut.Agustín Módica

He also got to witness up close one of the most eventful moments in the Canalla's recent history: the return of Ángel Di María to the club where he first made his name. "There were rumors, but nothing ever confirmed. He was working things out and we couldn't believe it, the first thing we did was take a photo of the TV and post it," he recalled. On what it was like sharing a locker room day to day with the World Cup champion, he was just as candid: "It surprised me a lot, by the second day he was just one of the guys. I admire him, not just as a player but as a person too."

There's another bond Módica carries with him, literally, on his skin: a tattoo he got together with his father. "My dad and I got it done together, it says 'together forever,' with a soccer ball. For everything he's lived through with soccer and everything he can still give me," he explained.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the forward doesn't hide the squad's ambition: "We have big goals, like making it into the top 8, and why not dream about winning a cup too. The idea is that teams don't want to come play in Mendoza." With 8 goals to his name and Gimnasia fighting for a spot near the top, that goal is starting to sound less like a dream and more like an actual plan.