47 under-20s used in first four Clausura rounds, two are from Unión | OneFootball

It may happen that a foreign football fan, possibly from Europe, sits down or lies back to watch a match in Argentina’s distorted, fiercely competitive, and overhandled football scene. So, for example, a Spaniard, an Italian, or an Englishman may have come across the match between Newell’s and Boca a few days ago at the Marcelo Bielsa Stadium. And surely there were two footballers who caught his eye: Leonel Flores and Luca Regiardo. The winger for the side managed by Rodolfo Arruabarrena was the standout player in the 2-2 draw, while the Rosario-born midfielder scored a goal and also wore Newell’s captain’s armband. Both are 19 years old.

They are not exceptions. There is an abundance of under-20 players taking starring roles across the 30 teams in the Liga Profesional’s top division. It is true that young players have always broken into the top flight of Argentine football, but the number of competing sides and the economic instability have sped things up. Clubs need to sell, and youngsters are emerging as an increasingly concrete alternative.

Not necessarily because this is the best time to throw them onto the pitch. Fans’ patience in Argentina is wearing thinner and thinner. Whereas academy kids used to be wildly applauded, now they can be booed if they fail to show major promise after just a couple of matches. The figure provided by the specialized site Transfermarkt is telling: 47 footballers under the age of 20 were used in the first four rounds of the Clausura Tournament.

“In recent times the context hasn’t been the best, but us club kids, whether the situation is good or not, we’re always going to defend the club on the pitch,” Regiardo said in the newspaper La Capital. He added: “Being captain is another dream come true. I try to do it in the best way and with a lot of responsibility. It’s something that carries a huge commitment because of everything the institution is and all its history. The captain has to be an example to follow in some way. You have to do things in the best possible way, both on and off the field.”

Leonel Flores, Boca’s wonderkid, also knew from a young age that the opportunity could come at any moment. “When I put on the Boca shirt, I feel that I have to leave everything out there on the pitch because if someone else comes along one day, he can take my place,” he said years ago, when he had only just been playing in the Ninth Division. He was clear about the idea. That is why the feeling is that the forward will do everything possible to remain among the starters.

“There are many former teammates at the training ground. We knew what Flores could give us, but it’s to his credit that he has taken advantage of his opportunities and continues to be self-critical about the things he still knows he needs to improve,” praised Arruabarrena, the coach who gave him his debut on July 16 against Sarmiento de Junín in the Copa Argentina.

Flores’ rise was so dazzling (he has only 8 appearances and 2 goals so far) that it slightly overshadowed Tomás Aranda, the playmaker who had already established himself among the starters and was even called up by Lionel Scaloni to the national team.

But the phenomenon is not limited to Boca and Newell’s. According to a Liga Profesional report, it is the clubs with strong youth setups that rely most on young players. During the Apertura Tournament won by Belgrano of Córdoba, Newell’s started Under-20 players on 30 occasions. They were followed by Vélez (22), Gimnasia (21), and Rosario Central (20).

“You can win matches with kids, but not championships,” goes a popular saying that history tends to support. But there is also something else that cannot be disputed: young players spark special interest among fans and viewers, who are, in the end, the star protagonists of football’s business.

So then, which young players are already standing out and are worth following closely?

At Argentinos, Facundo Jainikoski is shining, an attack-minded midfielder or thoughtful forward who is only 18. The attacker Alan Alcaraz has also started getting minutes at El Bicho.

At Rosario Central, meanwhile, Giovani Cantizano and Ignacio Ovando, both 19, are part of Jorge Almirón’s starting lineup. But what is happening at Newell’s is even more striking: in addition to captain Regiardo, Facundo Guch (19), Thomas Ríos (19), and Jerónimo Gómez Mattar (17) are key pieces for coach Frank Darío Kudelka.

At Gimnasia, Nicolás Barros Schelotto (19) has lost a bit of ground, but Ariel Pereyra handed a debut to youth player Lucas Lamella, just 16 years old, in the match against Aldosivi.

Midfielder Alejandro Tello (18) has earned the trust of Juan Pablo Vojvoda at Racing, which also got a strong performance from left-footed center-back Gonzalo Escudero (19).

Others who have been getting playing time include Thaiel Peralta (17) at Huracán; Valentín Dávila (19) and Giovanni Baroni (17) at Talleres; Agustín Medina (19) at Lanús; Misael Aguirre (18) and Lucas Ayala (19) at Unión; and Lisandro Piñero (19) at Banfield.

Vélez’s “Factory” is famous around the world, not just in Argentina. In this championship, Guillermo Barros Schelotto has already used Luca Feler (18), Alex Verón (17), Simón Escobar (17), and Thiago Aguirre (17).

Tobías Andrada (19) moved from El Fortín to River and is a starter for Eduardo Coudet, who also tends to place his trust in Joaquín Freitas (19), Lucas Silva (19), Lautaro Pereyra (18), and Juan Cruz Meza (18).

At El Taladro, meanwhile, a particular situation arose involving Tiziano Perrotta (19). Spain’s Elche, a club run by Christian Bragarnik, paid the release clause (4 million dollars) for the youngster who scored 8 goals in 18 matches under Pedro Troglio. The curious part is that the forward was loaned to Defensa y Justicia for six months.

Perrotta’s case largely sums up the new landscape: kids emerge earlier, play earlier, and can also quickly become the next piece of business. In an Argentine football world that needs results but also dollars, the youth academy has stopped being merely a bet on the future. For many clubs, it is a present-day necessity.

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