Bombshell at Boca: Arruabarrena, top pick to replace Úbeda | OneFootball

Juan Román Riquelme already has a leading name in mind to replace Claudio Úbeda: Rodolfo Arruabarrena is the top candidate to become Boca’s next head coach.

El Vasco is the president’s favorite to take charge of the team and could return to the club after a decade.

Arruabarrena was Boca’s head coach between 2014 and 2016: he won two domestic titles during his stint (the 2015 league title and the Copa Argentina).

On the other hand, his spell was also marked by painful eliminations against River in the 2014 Copa Sudamericana and the 2015 Copa Libertadores. The latter came in the infamous pepper spray incident, in the round of 16 of the continental tournament, which ended with the match at La Bombonera being suspended and Conmebol deciding to disqualify Boca.

After his time as Boca coach, El Vasco moved to Middle Eastern football: he managed Al Wasl of the United Arab Emirates, Al-Rayyan of Qatar, and Shabab Al-Ahli (UAE). He later also had a spell at Egypt’s Pyramids (between 2020 and 2021).

He also coached the United Arab Emirates national team in 2022: he failed to take the team to the Qatar World Cup and ultimately left the post in April 2023. The last team he managed was that country’s Al-Taawoun, in 2024.

A decade after the end of his stint at Boca, Juan Román Riquelme has him as his main option to replace Claudio Úbeda following the painful Copa Libertadores elimination. El Vasco — who as a player won the Copa Libertadores in 2000 with Boca under Carlos Bianchi — could be the team’s next head coach for the second half of the year.

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