Paulo Díaz overtakes Marcelo Salas as the most decorated Chilean in River Plate history

Seven titles. That's the number that now makes Paulo Díaz the Chilean player with the most silverware in River Plate history, a fact that might surprise more than a few fans whose minds jump straight to Matador Salas. But numbers don't lie, and the defender has them all in his favor.

It all started with the Argentine Supercup on March 13, 2024, when River beat Estudiantes de La Plata 2-1 in the closing minutes. That night Díaz added his seventh title wearing the red sash, capping off a run that began in late July 2019. Since then he's won the 2019 Copa Argentina, the 2019/20 Argentine Supercup, the 2021 Liga Profesional, the 2021 Trofeo de Campeones, the 2023 Liga Profesional, the 2023 Trofeo de Campeones and that most recent Supercup. Seven titles in a relatively short span, something no other Chilean had ever achieved at Núñez before.

El Matador, the idol with five titles

Before Díaz, the name every River fan associates with Chile is, without a doubt, Marcelo Salas. The Matador won 5 titles wearing the millonario jersey: the 1996 Apertura, the 1997 Clausura, the 1997 Apertura, the 1997 Supercup and, after his return from a stint in Italy, the 2004 Clausura, with Lazio and Juventus on his résumé in between.

The story of his arrival at River has a peculiar twist. Boca Juniors had courted him in 1996 and Carlos Bilardo agreed to sign him, but wanted to try him out first. The coach's reasoning didn't sit well at all: "No Chilean player has ever succeeded in Argentina." Salas refused to undergo the trial and the deal fell through. River, on the other hand, didn't hesitate and signed him without asking for anything.

I accepted that nobody knew me here, but I had already scored 99 goals for Universidad de Chile and I didn't need to prove anything at allMarcelo Salas

His first goal for the club couldn't have been more symbolic: it came at La Bombonera, against Bilardo's own Boca, although River ended up losing 3-2. As the season went on, he won over the fans, who began chanting the famous "Chileeeno, chileeeno" every time he touched the ball. His breakout year came in 1997, when he won three titles and was named South American Footballer of the Year, highlighted by a 1997 Supercup in which he scored at key moments, including two goals in the semifinal against Atlético Nacional and two more in the final against Sao Paulo. Shortly after, Lazio paid 17,500,000 dollars for him and took him to Italy.

Other Chileans who also lifted trophies

Alexis Sánchez arrived in 2007 from Colo Colo and a year later was crowned champion of the 2008 Torneo Clausura, reviving some of that same affection fans once had for Salas. Earlier, in 2002, Alejandro Escalona, a fullback also developed at Colo Colo, had won the Torneo Apertura under the guidance of another Chilean, Manuel Pellegrini, after a spell with Portugal's Benfica.

Between Copa Libertadores campaigns derailed by injuries and bittersweet returns, like Salas's in 2003 and 2004, the list of Chileans who left their mark on River keeps growing. Today, with seven titles to his name, Paulo Díaz stands at the top of that history.