From Panama to Belgium via Latvia: In Josue Vergara Gent have a future star
· Yahoo Sports
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Josue Vergara has had a sensational 2026. The 19-year-old from Panama made his senior debut for the national team against Ecuador on the 5th of October and it didn’t take long for him to make an impact. The Gent striker scored as Panama drew 1-1 with Ecuador before winning on penalties.
Vergara looks to be a real star in the making. After starting his career with local side Tauro FC, the striker moved to Latvia and signed with Auda for the 2026 season. He took Latvian football by storm, scoring 14 goals in just 20 games. That was enough to convince Gent to spend a decent amount of money on Vergara, and so far, it has paid off.
For Gent, shopping in Latvia isn’t anything new. A few seasons ago they brought in Darko Lemajic from RFS after he had scored 35 goals in just 57 games. Lemajic struggled to adapt to Belgian football, scoring just seven goals in 38 games and returning to RFS on a free transfer in 2023. Since then, he has scored an impressive 59 goals in just 124 games.
Vergara doesn’t seem to be having the same problems that Lemajic had in adapting to the Belgian game. In 13 games for Gent he already has four goals and has put in some decent performances. He looks to have good feet for a tall striker and some of his finishes have been equally impressive. He has become the first-choice striker at the Buffaloes since joining and is a major factor in them coming out of the international break in second place.
However, he did pick up an injury during the clash with Ecuador, and Gent are yet to know the full extent of the damage. It is a sign of how good Vergara has been that it would be considered a big blow to lose the 19-year-old for a period of time.