Key goals, a failed transfer to Asia, and the hunt for Luis Mena: Marcos Bolados, Colo Colo's unexpected hero

Marcos Bolados arrived at Colo Colo in July 2016. Blanco y Negro paid around 400 thousand dollars for 60% of his card from Deportes Antofagasta, and since then the northerner became the player who scored the goal that crowned the Cacique as champion of the 2026 Primera Liga. Today he is called the "man of the important goals" by the fans, and although the nickname may sound ironic — since in 10 years and 9 seasons (he was on loan at Universidad Católica in 2018) he has only scored 36 goals for the Cacique and his stay has been marked by injuries — he always appears when the albiceleste eleven needs him. The first of his iconic goals came in the final of the 2019 Copa Chile. The Cacique faced Universidad de Chile and Bolados opened the scoring in the 28th minute, paving the way for the Macul side's 3-1 victory and claiming the second most important tournament in national football. He repeated the formula in the Superclásico of September 26, 2021, valid for the Primera División championship. The man born in the city of eternal spring scored the first goal in the 6th minute, and once again the Macul side won 3-1. On matchday 22 of the 2022 tournament, Colo Colo faced Palestino with the chance to pull away in the table and begin cementing their 33rd star, which they ultimately achieved. In a tense match, the albos beat the Arabs by the minimum score, and the celebration was provided by Bolados in the 93rd minute. Two years later, the striker made appearances in the 14 matches the Cacique played in the Copa Libertadores, where they were eliminated by River Plate in the quarterfinals, and he scored only one goal. It came in the first of the two preliminary phases, when the national eleven beat Godoy Cruz in Mendoza and, after drawing 0-0 in Santiago, advanced to the second qualifying round. Bolados's historic goal. ANDRES PINA/PHOTOSPORT But his firepower would appear in the Cacique's great comeback in 2024. La U had taken a 10-point lead over their archrival and seemed to be heading toward a championship they had not won since 2017. However, the squad coached by Jorge Almirón had a practically perfect second half of the season, and Bolados got on the scoresheet in four of the last 5 matches they played, the most memorable being the one he scored against La Calera in the 68th minute to win 1-0 and catch the students at the top. With the 34th star in Colo Colo's history, Blanco y Negro decided to renew Marcos Bolados's contract, and on January 7, 2025, he signed a two-season deal and achieved an unprecedented salary increase: he went from earning 15 million to 30 million pesos. However, physical ailments and his low performance made him a transferable player, and at the beginning of this year he was linked with four Chilean clubs: Everton, Coquimbo Unido, O'Higgins, and Deportes La Serena. Although the best option in economic terms — both for him and for ByN — came from Asia, and the negotiations were quite advanced when he suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in his left knee. And after nearly 9 months out, the striker returned the way he knows how: with a goal and an assist against Unión Española to secure Colo Colo's first place in their Copa Chile group. Since then, he had been coming off the bench in the Cacique's matches. But he could not manage to celebrate. Until the historic Sunday, November 8, arrived, and he darted toward the Ñublense goal in stoppage time to push in the ball laid off by Javier Correa, scoring the 2-1 and lowering the 35th star for the albos. "Scoring a goal at the last minute is the most beautiful thing, especially if it gives you a championship, so I'm truly very happy, grateful to my family, to everyone who has been with me. It has been hard," he said in the official broadcast. With that, he added eleven league titles with the Cacique (4 Primera División titles, 4 Copa Chile titles, and 3 Supercopas), thereby closing in on the record held by Luis Mena at Pedrero, who received 12 golden medals, although 11 of them were Primera División tournaments and only one was a Copa Chile. Bolados could match Mena if Colo Colo wins the Copa Chile this year — they are already in the semifinals and will face O'Higgins — or if he stays at the Monumental next year. His contract ends in December, and as the president of the alba concessionaire pointed out, negotiations for building the 2027 squad will now begin. Watch the highlights of the match between Colo Colo and Ñublense:NEWSLETTEREl DeportivoMonday, 8:45 AMA special selection with coverage and analysis of the most important sporting events of the weekend, by the La Tercera Sports team. By subscribing, you are accepting the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies of La Tercera.