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Costa Rica legend Celso Borges pulls off the most spectacular double nutmeg you'll see this year

By Giancarlo Cornejo January 9, 2023
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No one is safe, not even in a charity game.
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Celso Borges might have pulled off one of the filthiest nutmeg sequences of the year. Yes, I'm aware we're in January.

The 34-year-old central midfielder is one of Costa Rica’s all-time greats (playing a vital part in the Ticos’ 2014 World Cup run) and to this day, he keeps showing us why he’s regarded as such, even in a charity match.

Alajuelense’s Celso Borges double nutmeg against Saprissa’s Jeffry Valverde

During the 20th minute of Costa Rica's annual pre-season charity match “90 minutos por la vida” last Saturday, Celso Borges took the ball in the middle of the pitch and created something from nothing.

When the score was still 0-0, the historic No. 5 thought it was a good time to get the crowd on its feet.

The midfielder toe-poked for a cheeky nutmeg and let the ball roll a few yards only to backheel nutmeg the same player three seconds later. Tico Magic.

Valverde has a family, you know.

What is the "90 Minutos Por La Vida" charity game?

90 minutos por la vida (90 minutes for life) is a unique game that sees four of the biggest clubs in Costa Rica (Alajuelense, Saprissa, Herediano and Cartaginés) take turns playing each other for 20 minutes for a good cause.

The teams participating in the game help fundraise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity each year and send all proceeds to the Asociación Lucha Contra el Cáncer Infantil (Fight Against Children’s Cancer Association). The charity game has been played since 1993 and they've fundraised over $5 million in that time.

We also saw former players come back one last time to ignite the nostalgia and join the cause.

This year’s edition saw Alajuelense and Herediano as the main protagonists. The event was organized into four periods with different teams playing each other in 20-minute intervals:

  • Alajuelense vs. Cartaginés (0-0, 2-1 penalty shootout)
  • Herediano vs. Saprissa (1-1, 3-2 penalty shootout)
  • Herediano vs. Cartaginés (2-0)
  • Alajuelense vs. Saprissa (1-0)

The event ended in a Herediano win and a total of $390,000 for chairty with moments like Borges’ nutmeg making the game special and more entertaining for people to stay watching and donating throughout the event.

A win-win for everyone involved (except Valverde).

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