UEFA: The Argentinians set to play in the European finals | OneFootball

Europa, Conference and Champions League, all with Argentines

All three UEFA club continental finals will feature Argentine presence, although only two involve players; the other is a member of the coaching staff. In total, there are 6 compatriots who will play leading roles in football on the old continent. We review the 3 finals.

Champions League: An Argentine at Arsenal

The Champions League final will be played on Saturday, May 30 at 1 pm Argentina time at the Puskas Arena in Budapest (Hungary) between PSG and Arsenal. This match will bring the European season to a close and pave the way for the World Cup.

The Champions League will feature only one Argentine, and it is not a player: it is Mikel Arteta’s assistant coach, “Gringo” Gabriel Heinze, who will be the only Argentine in the Champions League final, as well as one of those responsible for Arsenal’s current form.

Despite having played for Manchester United and Real Madrid, he was never able to play in a Champions League final. This will be the first of his career, as part of Arsenal’s coaching staff (he is Mikel Arteta’s right-hand man), with the team chasing its first Champions League title.

Europa League: Aston Villa’s Emilianos

The Europa League final will open the trilogy of European finals. It will be played on May 20 at 4 pm Argentina time at Besiktas’ home ground, the Tüpra Stadyumu in Istanbul (Turkey), and the contenders will be England’s Aston Villa and Germany’s Freiburg.

There will be two Argentine players in this final, both at Aston Villa, both key figures, both with experience in the Argentina national team, and both named Emiliano—many coincidences that give fans reason to dream.

One of them will be Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez. The Argentina national team goalkeeper will be tasked with protecting Aston Villa’s goal, meaning he will play in his first European final. Alongside him will be another Emiliano, the team’s brain, the player who wears the No. 10 shirt and starred in the semifinal: Emiliano Buendia.

Conference League: The duel of Argentine goalkeepers

The Conference League final will be played on May 27 at 4 pm Argentina time at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig (Germany), and it will feature Spain’s Rayo Vallecano and England’s Crystal Palace. It will be the only one of the 3 finals to have Argentines on both teams.

This match will feature a particular duel between Argentine goalkeepers. On Crystal Palace’s side will be Walter Benítez (formerly of Quilmes), the English team’s second-choice goalkeeper, while on Rayo Vallecano’s side will be Augusto Batalla, formerly of River and San Lorenzo. The list of Argentine players is completed by Oscar Trejo, a midfielder with a past at Boca who holds the record for being the foreign player with the most appearances for the Spanish club.

After this review, we can see that at least one Argentine will be champion, in the case of the Conference League, since it is the only final where there will be at least one compatriot on each team. We will see how many manage to lift one of the 3 trophies this month of May.

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