The players Gallardo has told are leaving River | OneFootball

River has no official commitments left this year, but there are still more disappointments. In addition to the path towards the 2026 cups—which no longer depends on themselves—this morning, upon returning to training, Marcelo Gallardo informed several players that they will not continue at the club after the end of the year. Among them are no less than four heroes from Madrid.

Although these are players whose contracts expire on December 31 and the option to renew was never on the table, “El Muñeco” confirmed to them that they are not in his plans for what’s coming. These names are: Ignacio Fernández (35 years old), Milton (37), Gonzalo Martínez (32), Miguel Ángel Borja (32), and Enzo Pérez (39).

In recent days, there were rumors that the captain would be offered to remain part of the squad, with the warning that the club would look to strengthen the central midfield position and that he would likely have far fewer minutes than in 2025. The idea was to keep him as a locker room leader and captain without the armband, just as Leonardo Ponzio did in his final years. However, Enzo has something else in mind, and that’s why he’s leaving the club.

Except for the Colombian, who nevertheless, with his 62 goals, is 27th on River’s all-time scorers list, the rest are players who had a huge impact on the club’s history and can be considered idols. Four starters from the Copa Libertadores final won against Boca in Madrid in 2018, and even a two-time champion of America, Pity Martínez.

Surely, this was not the ending they wanted for their remarkable careers wearing River’s shirt. The team’s very poor 2025, along with a negative 2024, blurred for some fans what they meant for the club’s glory. However, their place in history is already sealed, and time will surely return to them the recognition and love they earned on the field.

Additionally, the coach would inform Sebastián Boselli that he will not be a priority and, therefore, they will look for a way out for him. Federico Gattoni’s loan is also ending, and he will have to return to Sevilla having barely played any minutes in River’s shirt. Giuliano Galoppo’s case is different: the objectives to trigger the purchase obligation were not met, but the intention is to buy his transfer from Sao Paulo, who want to keep Enzo Díaz and Gonzalo Tapia.

Meanwhile, Paulo Díaz’s cycle is already over. The Chilean has been at River for six and a half years, and his time ended after Gallardo decided, as with Borja, not to call him up for the last two matches of the year. However, the defender has a contract until the end of 2027, so his departure will depend on a club making an offer that convinces both parties.

Finally, there are three players whom the coach and the club would like to keep, but who will consider offers to move on. Facundo Colidio, Jeremías Ledesma, and Fabricio Bustos are open to a change, and if an interested party appears, they could leave.

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