Debate sparked at A Presión when each panelist started giving their best '9' that they had seen play for the Peruvian national team. Julinho placed Waldir Sáenz very close to Claudio Pizarro.
"Paolo (Guerrero), Claudio (Pizarro), Flavio (Maestri), 'Wally'", were the names mentioned by the former Sporting Cristal player in one of the recent episodes of A Presión when he listed his best center forwards that he saw with the national team.
Immediately, several panelists raised their voices to point out that Sáenz was not a '9'. However, the Brazil-born player maintained that the all-time top scorer for Alianza Lima did play as a center forward during his time.
It is worth noting that both Julinho and Waldir Sáenz coincided in the Peruvian national team that competed in the qualifying rounds for the 1998 World Cup, a process in which Peru came very close to qualifying under the leadership of Carlos Oblitas.
How many matches and goals did Waldir score for Peru?
The popular 'Wally' wore the national team jersey between 1993 and 2000, playing 17 matches and scoring only one goal, precisely against Honduras in the quarterfinals of the 2000 Gold Cup.