Gracián or Ledesma: Boca’s picks for Úbeda’s coaching team | OneFootball

With Claudio Úbeda’s continuity practically sealed, Boca’s management, led by Juan Román Riquelme, is planning to add one more member to the first team’s coaching staff before the preseason begins on January 2. In this regard, the frontrunners are Pablo Ledesma and Leandro Gracián, two former players who also worked at the club after hanging up their boots.

Just under a year after retiring at Alvarado de Mar del Plata, Ledesma returned to Boca in March 2021 to coach the Eighth Division. Since then, he has worked continuously in the Xeneize youth divisions and is currently with the Sixth Division, alongside Daniel Cata Díaz. His team earned 50 points in 2025 and finished seventh.

After just two matches in Talleres’ First Division, the native of La Falda arrived at Boca in mid-2002. He spent over a year in the Reserves and only began to get minutes with the first team in 2004. He was one of the players who took a penalty in the shootout against River during the Copa Libertadores semifinals that year. In January 2008, he was sold to Catania in Italy, where he spent four years before returning to Boca in 2012. During those years, he cemented his friendship with Juan Román Riquelme, even copying his goal celebrations as a player.

Even though he is not considered a club idol, he is well-liked by the fans, and his time at the club left very fond memories. In total, he played 236 matches, scored 18 goals, and provided 13 assists. He also won eight titles, including the 2007 Copa Libertadores and the 2004 and 2005 Copa Sudamericana trophies.

Gracián, who was Ledesma’s teammate at Boca during the second half of 2007, had a less successful playing career but stood out more as an assistant coach. He had two spells as a player: between 2007 and 2009, and in the 2011/12 season. In total, he played 57 matches, scored eight goals, provided seven assists, and won the 2008 Recopa Sudamericana, the 2008 Apertura, and the 2011 Apertura.

In 2022, after a brief stint at Atlanta as Walter Erviti’s assistant, he returned to the club to be Hugo Ibarra’s assistant in the Reserves. But after Sebastián Battaglia was dismissed, Ibarra took charge of the first team. The trio, completed by Roberto Pompei, won the Professional League that year and the Argentine Supercup the following year. However, a poor start to 2023 led to the coaching staff’s departure and the arrival of Jorge Almirón. In total, Gracián served as assistant coach for 36 matches with Boca’s first team.

In March 2024, he launched his career as a head coach at Deportivo Madryn. Although he did not achieve promotion, his time with the Patagonian side was very good. He finished second and first in his group in the two seasons but could not get past the always tough playoffs. In 2024, he was eliminated in the second round by Gimnasia de Mendoza, and in 2025, he lost both finals: again to Gimnasia de Mendoza at Platense’s stadium, and to Estudiantes de Río Cuarto with an aggregate score of 3-1 in favor of the Córdoba side. Once the season ended, he decided to step aside.

With Ledesma and Gracián as the main options, and Walter Pico and Roberto Pompei as secondary alternatives, it is almost certain that a new member will join Claudio Úbeda’s coaching staff. The management believes that an extra voice, someone who knows the club, can help Sifón and Juvenal Rodríguez make better decisions during matches—one of the areas where they fell short, especially in the Clausura Tournament playoffs. In the coming hours, the club could announce the third member through its official channels.

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