Boca icon praises River keeper Santi Beltrán, what did Abbondanzieri say? | OneFootball

The idol and world champion with Boca highlighted the level of River’s young goalkeeper, compared him to Oscar Ustari in his early days, and emphasized his personality, even with Franco Armani around.

Santiago Beltrán keeps earning recognition for his performances at River, and this time he received unexpected backing: Roberto Abbondanzieri, a multiple-time champion and Boca idol, praised the current form of the youngster who took advantage of Franco Armani’s injury to make the Millonario goal his own.

Speaking about Beltrán’s current form, the historic Xeneize goalkeeper praised him and compared him to the beginnings of another benchmark in the position. “His emergence is like that of (Oscar) Ustari. His emergence was something very novel at Independiente, but he has a maturity and calmness that surprise me,” he said in an interview with DSports.

Of course, the Pato’s praise is not exaggerated at all. Since he was called on to step into the starting team, the 21-year-old has responded with confidence and several crucial saves, to the point of becoming one of the standout players in the Núñez side, with game-saving interventions in different matches. So it is no surprise either that the Millonario decided to improve his contract and protect him with a 100 million euro release clause.

The former Boca player also focused on the personality the goalkeeper showed during the match against Gimnasia, in which Armani was on the bench. The situation did not seem to affect him, and he remained calm throughout the entire game.

“Yesterday I was watching the match and I saw Armani, a world champion, on the bench with that look of someone who always wants to be playing, and I said: ‘How calmly Beltrán played in goal with the world champion behind him,’” Pato remarked.

For a former goalkeeper as decorated as Abbondanzieri to praise Beltrán is no small thing. Pato was not only an idol of River’s eternal rival, but during his time with the Xeneize he also won the Copa Libertadores three times, the Intercontinental Cup twice, the Copa Sudamericana twice, and the Recopa Sudamericana once, in addition to six domestic titles. Without a doubt, the man from Santa Fe left a legacy that is hard to match as a player, and his opinion carries real authority.

The praise from the Boca idol reflects the impact the young goalkeeper has made on Argentine football. His performances have not only sparked excitement among River fans and earned him a place on the list of 55 Argentina players preselected for the next World Cup, but also recognition from historic figures of their lifelong rival.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.