Vasco Arruabarrena one step away from becoming Boca boss | OneFootball

El Vasco gave the green light to begin his second spell as Xeneize manager. Only a few details remain before his return to the club is confirmed.

Boca is going through crucial hours as it looks to define its new head coach. Following the departure of Claudio Úbeda, Juan Román Riquelme moved quickly and offered the job to Rodolfo “Vasco” Arruabarrena, who accepted the proposal and is now one step away from returning to the Xeneize bench.

The former Boca manager expressed his desire to return to the club and, according to sources close to him, the financial and working differences that still need to be resolved would not be an obstacle to finalizing the agreement.

“Vasco wants to take the job no matter what,” sources close to the coach revealed. A final decision could come in the next few days, taking advantage of the fact that the squad is on vacation and will only begin preseason on June 18.

Riquelme’s call came shortly after the end of Úbeda’s spell was confirmed. Boca’s president turned to a man with a strong history at the club, both as a player and as a coach, and picked up the phone to make him the offer.

The contact caught Arruabarrena by surprise while he was resting at a ranch in General Las Heras, in Buenos Aires Province. With little signal, Vasco answered the call, listened to the offer, and quickly showed his willingness to return.

If it is finalized, it will be Arruabarrena’s second spell as Boca head coach. His first stint was between 2014 and 2016, when he took over after Carlos Bianchi left and managed to steady the team during a difficult period.

During that time, Vasco won two domestic titles: the 2015 Primera División tournament and the Copa Argentina that same year.

However, his spell was also marked by painful eliminations against River. First in the 2014 Copa Sudamericana and then in the 2015 Copa Libertadores, in the memorable series that ended with the pepper spray scandal and the Xeneize’s disqualification.

In his first spell, Arruabarrena managed 73 matches, with a record of 45 wins, 13 draws, and 15 losses, which represents a 68.45% win rate.

As a player, Vasco also has an important history with Boca. A product of the club’s youth academy, he won the 2000 Copa Libertadores under Carlos Bianchi and also lifted the 1998 Apertura and 1999 Clausura titles before continuing his career at Spain’s Villarreal.

After leaving as Xeneize manager, he continued his career abroad, with spells at clubs in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, in addition to managing the United Arab Emirates national team.

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