Rubén Del Campo - 2024 Golden Scarf Nominee
Thump. Thwack. Swish. Crack. Whiz. Boom. Bosh. Bang. Wham. Smack. Crash. Pow. Vamos.
These are thirteen of the noises I heard when watching back the thirteen goals Rubén Del Campo has scored (so far) this season for Atlético Ottawa. But to bring only sound to Rubén Del Campos's game would be an injustice to the way that this man has played – and the way this man looks. Since stepping on the field in April at the top of Atleti’s formation, Del Campo has been Torres-reincarnate (and I’m not talking about Liberman), from the headband, to the language, to the knack for finding an important goal.
The third and final Golden Scarf Nominee and the player with the most tangible raison d’être to be amongst this group, the suave Swiss striker leads the league in goals at the time of writing, with eleven league tallies, while also chipping in with three assists across all competitions. Not many could have anticipated the Rubén we would see in 2024. In 2023 you could call him Paddy Canny the way he consistently played second fiddle. Announced halfway through the season as a summer transfer window acquisition, he was given the tall task of standing out while being announced next to Alberto Zapater. Naturally, the thirty-eight-year-old defensive midfielder was the one grabbing the headlines, not the largely-unknown 23-year-old striker. Zapater would start every game, while Del Campo found himself nudged into the ‘one for the future’ category.
Stuck behind big-money mover Sam Salter, Rubén made only ten appearances off the bench, while only once did he complete 90 minutes. He would ride the bench for the remainder of the ‘23 season in an underwhelming campaign in which he netted just two assists – one a memorable cross to Diego Espejo, and later a more forgettable high press which spilled the ball at the feet of Ollie Bassett, who turned home in a losing effort. This summarized his first half-season in the nation's capital: tame. If Del Campo did anything to stick in the minds of Atleti fans, it could have come in the final game of the season in Hamilton, when, despite not finding the back of the net, Rubén balled out in a shock win against the eventual CPL champions, Forge – it spelled the first time I saw signs of the things to come for the young striker.
In his first half-season at Atlético Ottawa, sixteen appearances came and went without a goal for Rubén Del Campo. In season two, he needed less than four to find his feet. After forfeiting two starts to Sam Salter, who again appeared to be favourite to lead the line for Carlos González, RDC was given the start against the Halifax Wanderers on April 27. He took it and never looked back, sweeping in a cut-back from the top of the box which crept under the keeper. His celebration did little to hide his excitement at his first goal for the club. The next week he scored a swiveling volley – his first in front of the Dub. The volley was symptomatic of a purple patch for RDC in which every touch seemed to turn to gold – a direct contrast and what feels like karma after his difficult and in many cases unlucky campaign a year earlier.
While the classy Rubén Del Campo only seemed to get better-looking as the season progressed (see: maximum aura) his goals were anything but. Not that it matters for a striker of Del Campos ilk. The opportunities continued to fall to Rubén, who proved to be adept at ‘popping up in the box.’ At the time of writing, Ruben not only finds himself top of the scoring charts, but second in the league for shots on goal, with 55.
If you were to compile a list of memorable individual performances in this Atlético Ottawa campaign, Rubén Del Campos role in the 7-0 Canadian Championship over Valour is certainly near the top of the list, and even if (heaven forbid) this season fades into the ‘chance missed’ category, his role in the CanChamp dismantling of the Winnipeg outfit will live long in the minds of Atlético Ottawa fans. His first was a sublime striker’s goal, spinning outside and outpacing a Valour defender to latch onto a through ball and fire home. His second was a more classic Rubén Del Campo goal – one that Atleti supporters would get used to over the next six months – as the budding goal-poacher smashed home from close range on his left peg during the second phase of an attack.
May was bliss for Rubén Del Campo, and at the end of the month his goal tally reflected it. Only Cavalry, York and Forge outscored the striker, who found the back of the net more than Halifax and Valour (4) while notching as many goals as both Pacific and Vancouver (6). His goals were crucial in prolonging Atleti’s short-lived stint at the top of the table. By June, he was scoring at the remarkable rate of almost a goal per game.
While he did stick two in the back of the net in the 7-0 rout of Valour, Rubén hasn’t just been scoring goals in blowouts either. At least twelve of the 43 points have been directly influenced by a Rubén Del Campo goal, with three markers being game-winners. He now holds the single-season scoring record at Atleti, and if he scores against York at any time in the playoffs, Rubén Del Campo can also boast another impressive stat and one that certainly combats the theory that he scores against weaker opposition. Rubén is one goal against York away from netting against every team in the division this season.
Of course we couldn’t talk about RDC’s the season on the field without talking about the year off it. In late August, an Instagram post by Atleti’s number nineteen declared that ‘Baby Carla is coming.’ He celebrated the news with an Atlético Ottawa with ‘Dad’ on the back, forever intertwining his personal life with Atleti. This became a common theme, as Rubén could always be found with the Spanish contingent in the group – clearly a tight-knit crew. He celebrated the news only a few weeks later against Pacific FC, blazing home a volley before collecting the ball from the back of the net and tucking it in his shirt. In early September, he made public his engagement to girlfriend Paula Carreño.
When not preparing for fatherhood, smashing home left-footed finishes or spending time with his teammates, Rubén Del Campo has been a willing volunteer for Atlético Ottawa in promoting the club brand. If there is a merch drop or media opportunity, you can bet Rubén will be a part of it in some way. And why not! If I was as debonair as RDC, I would do the same.
More than anyone else at Atlético Ottawa, Rubén Del Campo still has skin in the game this season as he not only seeks to end the campaign as a champion but looks to stave off his Golden Boot challengers. If he can add to the haul a Golden Scarf, he will not only be well on his way to an all-golden outfit, but he will be a fully deserving recipient of both awards.
About the Author
Ben Ralph is a die-hard football fan and a journalism student at Carleton. He has been supporting Everton through the ups and downs (but mostly the downs) and could not believe his luck when he stumbled across Atlético Ottawa in 2021. Now part of the Atleti faithful, his dream has always been to write football stories, and he is excited to join other fans as writers for CCSG. His football journalist idols are Adam Hurrey, James Richardson, and Charlie Eccleshare from The Football Cliches Podcast.
