Who are Boca's 14 youngsters in the Libertadores squad yet to debut | OneFootball

Last Wednesday, Boca sent CONMEBOL the list of 49 players who will represent the club in the Copa Libertadores group stage. It includes the entire professional squad, rounded out by 14 youth players who have not yet made their First Division debut. Take a look at them.

Fernando Rodríguez – 21 years old

The goalkeeper, born in 2004, was Mariano Herrón’s backup in the reserve team throughout last year and moved down to third in the coach’s pecking order when Leandro Brey dropped back for the final Clausura matches and the Trofeo de Campeones final against Vélez. With Sebastián Díaz Robles leaving for San Martín de San Juan, he became the starter and has been turning in solid performances for a team that, until the loss to Quilmes, was unbeaten in the Apertura. This year he has played five matches, conceded three goals, and kept three clean sheets.

Santiago Zampieri – 18 years old

The left back from Moreno was one of the pillars of the reserve team that won back-to-back titles. “Defensively I’m very solid, and I also have my offensive game,” he said in an interview with El Canal de Boca in 2025, the year he signed his first professional contract. His skill on the ball is one of his greatest strengths: he has plenty of technique to beat opponents and a good strike. He has already made 42 appearances, scoring one goal and providing four assists. He has trained several times with the first team, but has yet to receive a call-up from Claudio Úbeda, although Diego Placente did call him up for the Under-20s.

Facundo Herrera – 19 years old “Jagger,” as he is known at Boca Predio, was another of the standout players on the team that won two titles at the end of last year. In fact, he scored the penalty that gave Boca the Proyección Clausura title against Gimnasia de La Plata. A center back with good distribution, tough marking, and tremendous ability in the air, he formed a solid partnership with Mateo Mendía during 2025, when the team recorded almost as many clean sheets as goals conceded. In September of last year, the club extended his contract through December 2028. Although he is very highly rated within the club and already has more than 50 reserve appearances, he got minutes in 2026 for the first time just a week ago against Estudiantes.

Matías Satas – 17 years old The left-footed center back is one of Boca’s biggest prospects and one of the top talents in all of Argentine football. In October of last year, he was included by The Guardian in its traditional “Next Generation” report, which highlights the 60 best talents born in 2008. He was the first player from his age group to sign a professional contract with the club, and despite his young age he became an unquestioned starter in Herrón’s reserve side. Technical, powerful, and showing maturity well beyond his years, the Morón native proudly admits: “They tell me I’m like Cuti Romero or Lisandro Martínez.” He captained Argentina’s Under-15 national team at the 2024 South American Championship, then the Under-17 South American Championship and World Cup in 2025, and this year he has already been called up by Diego Placente to the Under-20s.

Gadiel Paoli – 20 years old

The center back, born in Laferrere but representing Paraguay’s national team, has established himself as the starting No. 2 for the reserve team in 2026. He signed his first professional contract in May 2025, four months before playing in the Under-20 World Cup with Paraguay. After captaining the fourth division side all of last year, he got his chance in Mariano Herrón’s team and is already showing many of his qualities. He has made 12 appearances in the category and has already scored once, against Independiente Rivadavia.

Kevin Giménez – 21 years old

A right back, born in 2005. He rotates in that position with Dylan Gorosito. Like many on the list, he signed his first professional contract last year, running through December 2028. He stands out for his intensity in defense, speed, and ability to push forward into the opposition half. He also has one particular trait: he can play on the left flank as well. All told, the San Sebastián native has 35 reserve appearances and two assists.

Dante González – 19 years old

The midfielder, born in 2006, made the news at the end of 2024, when he signed his first professional contract and Fernando Gago promoted him to the first-team squad for the final training sessions of the year. Since then, he has alternated between the fourth division and the reserves, always performing well. He plays mainly as a right-sided interior midfielder, though he has occupied every midfield role in Boca’s youth ranks. During the second half of last year he barely played for Mariano Herrón’s team, but he reappeared as a starter in the opening rounds of the 2026 Apertura.

Leonel Flores – 19 years old

He was on the first-team bench twice in February this year, when a wave of injuries hit the professional squad’s forwards. Unlike Gonzalo Gelini and Tomás Aranda, two former reserve teammates who did get the chance to debut (the latter is already one of the team’s standout players), the versatile forward did not get his opportunity. Playing mostly as a second striker, he was one of the top scorers for the reserve side that won the Clausura (he scored in the final against Gimnasia) and the Trofeo de Campeones. Now, with the first-team attackers back fit, he will have to keep waiting for his chance while playing for Mariano Herrón’s side.

Rodrigo Bacidalupe – 18 years old

After moving between the fifth division, fourth division, and the reserves, the center forward is establishing himself in Herrón’s team through goals. He has three goals in seven matches and is one of the few players to have appeared in every game so far this year. Although he generally plays through the middle, he is a mobile striker who does a good job of losing defenders to get into scoring positions. Last year he extended his contract through December 2028.

Miguel Ventos – 21 years old

The forward from Entre Ríos joined the club at under-14 level and stood out in every age group. After a very positive 2024, he signed his first contract with the club and since then has begun to alternate in the reserves. Although he has never had a guaranteed starting spot, he has always been a useful option off the bench for Mariano Herrón. He has not started yet this year, but he has appeared in four matches and already scored one goal.

Joaquín Piñeyro – 18 years old

Like Satas, with whom he shares the same age group, this powerful center forward is one of the biggest prospects in Boca’s academy. With a wide range of finishing tools and physical conditions well beyond what is normal for a boy his age, he stands out both in his own category and when playing with older footballers. Despite extensive experience with youth national teams (he played in the Under-15 South American Championship, the Under-17 South American Championship, and the World Cup at that level), he has yet to make his reserve debut, although he completed his first preseason with that squad this summer. Those who watch him regularly compare him to Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his technique despite his height.

Ezequiel Vidal González – 18 years old

The son of Antonio Vidal González, an old Boca tormentor who scored three goals for San Martín de Tucumán in a 6-1 thrashing back in 1998, this young winger has stood out since arriving at Boca to the point of signing his first professional contract when he was just 16. The Candelaria, Misiones native is taking his first steps in the reserves as a substitute. He has not yet made any starts or contributed to any goals, but little by little he is beginning to show his potential in the category just below the first team.

Juan Pusseto – 18 years old

He is a winger, but he can also play as a center forward. The Córdoba native, from the town of Altos de Chipión, showed his full potential in 2025, the year he signed his first contract through December 2027. Along with his great ability with both feet, he stood out in his age group for his goals, assists, and dribbling. He has only played 13 minutes in the reserves and was on the bench twice this year.

Kevin Ferreira – 17 years old

Kevin Román “El Picante” Ferreira is another of Boca’s gems from the 2008 age group. The right winger joined the club at the age of six and has been climbing through the academy ever since. Last year, while starring for the sixth division side, he got his first opportunity in the reserves, along with the offer of his first professional contract. “My goal is to reach the first team and succeed to repay everything my parents have done for me,” he told Boca Late. This year he scored his first goal in the category coached by Mariano Herrón and continues taking firm steps toward his dream of debuting in blue and gold.

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