Who are Boca's 14 youngsters in the Libertadores squad yet to debut | OneFootball

Last Wednesday, Boca sent CONMEBOL the list of 49 players who will represent the club in the Copa Libertadores group stage. It includes the entire professional squad, rounded out by 14 youth players who have yet to make their First Division debuts. Here’s a look at them.

Fernando Rodríguez – 21 years old

The goalkeeper, born in 2004, was Mariano Herrón’s backup in the reserve team throughout last year and dropped to third in the coach’s pecking order when Leandro Brey moved down for the final Clausura matches and the Trofeo de Campeones final against Vélez. With Sebastián Díaz Robles leaving for San Martín de San Juan, he became the starter and has been performing well for a team that, until the loss to Quilmes, had been unbeaten in the Apertura. This year he has played five matches, conceded three goals, and kept a clean sheet three times.

Santiago Zampieri – 18 years old

The left-back from Moreno was one of the pillars of the two-time champion reserve team. “Defensively I’m very solid, and I also have my offensive game,” he said in an interview with El Canal de Boca during 2025, the year he signed his first professional contract. His skill on the ball is one of his greatest strengths: he has plenty of technique to beat opponents and a good strike. He already has 42 appearances, with one goal and four assists. He has trained several times with the first team, but has yet to receive a call-up from Claudio Úbeda, although Diego Placente did summon him for the U-20s.

Facundo Herrera – 19 years old “Jagger,” as he is known at Boca Predio, was another of the standout players on the team that won two titles at the end of last year. In fact, he scored the penalty that gave Boca the Proyección Clausura title against Gimnasia de La Plata. A center-back who is comfortable on the ball, tough in marking, and extremely strong in the air, he formed a solid partnership with Mateo Mendía during 2025, when the team racked up almost as many clean sheets as goals conceded. In September of last year, the club extended his contract through December 2028. Although he is very highly rated within the club and already has more than 50 reserve appearances, he got his first minutes of 2026 just a week ago against Estudiantes.

Matías Satas – 17 years old The left-footed center-back is one of Boca’s biggest prospects and one of the top talents in Argentine football as a whole. In October of last year, he was included by The Guardian in its traditional “Next Generation” report, which highlights the 60 best talents born in 2008. He was the first player of his age group to sign a professional contract with the club and, despite his young age, became an undisputed starter in Herrón’s reserve side. Technical, powerful, and with a maturity far beyond his years, the Morón native proudly says: “They tell me I’m like Cuti Romero or Lisandro Martínez.” He captained Argentina’s U-15 team at the 2024 South American Championship, then at the 2025 U-17 South American Championship and World Cup, and this year he has already been called up by Diego Placente for the U-20s.

Gadiel Paoli – 20 years old

The center-back, born in Laferrere but representing Paraguay’s national team, has established himself as the starting No. 2 for the reserves in 2026. He signed his first professional contract in May 2025, four months before playing in the U-20 World Cup with Paraguay. After captaining the U-18 side throughout last year, he got his chance in Mariano Herrón’s team and is already showing many of his strengths. He has made 12 appearances in the category and has already scored once, against Independiente Rivadavia.

Kevin Giménez – 21 years old

A right-back born in 2005. He rotates in that position with Dylan Gorosito. Like many on the list, he signed his first professional contract last year through December 2008. He stands out for his intensity in marking, his speed, and his ability to get forward. He also has one particular trait: he can play on the left flank as well. All told, the San Sebastián native has 35 reserve appearances and two assists.

Dante González – 19 years old

The midfielder, born in 2006, made headlines at the end of 2024, when he signed his first professional contract and Fernando Gago promoted him to the first-team squad for that year’s final training sessions. Since then, he has alternated between the U-18s and the reserves, always performing at a good level. He plays as a right-sided interior midfielder, although he has filled every midfield role across Boca’s youth teams. During the second half of last year he barely played for Mariano Herrón’s team, but he returned as a starter in the opening rounds of the 2026 Apertura.

Leonel Flores – 19 years old

He was on the first-team bench twice in February this year, when a wave of injuries hit the professional squad’s forwards. Unlike Gonzalo Gelini and Tomás Aranda, two of his former reserve teammates who did get the chance to debut (the latter is already one of the team’s standout players), the versatile forward did not get the opportunity to make his first appearance. Playing mostly as a second striker, he was one of the top scorers for the reserve team that won the Clausura (he scored in the final against Gimnasia) and the Trofeo de Campeones. Now, with the first-team forwards recovered, he will have to keep waiting for his chance while playing for Mariano Herrón’s side.

Rodrigo Bacidalupe – 18 years old

After moving between the U-17s, U-18s, and reserves, the center-forward is now establishing himself in Herrón’s team through goals. He has three goals in seven matches and is one of the few players to have featured in every game so far this year. Although he generally plays through the middle, he is a mobile striker who finds space well away from defenders to get into scoring positions. Last year he extended his contract through December 2028.

Miguel Ventos – 21 years old

The forward from Entre Ríos joined the club at U-13 level and stood out in every category. After a very positive 2024, he signed his first contract with the club and from then on began alternating in the reserves. Although he never had a guaranteed starting place, he was always a useful option off the bench for Mariano Herrón. He has not started yet this year, but he has come on in four matches and already scored once.

Joaquín Piñeyro – 18 years old

Like Satas, with whom he shares the same age group, this powerful center-forward is one of the biggest prospects in Boca’s academy. With a wide range of finishing tools and physical traits well beyond what you would expect for someone his age, he imposes himself both in his own age group and when playing with older footballers. Despite his extensive experience with youth national teams (he played in the U-15 South American Championship, the U-17 South American Championship, and the World Cup at that level), he has yet to make his reserve debut, though he completed his first preseason with them this summer. Those who watch him regularly compare him to Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his technique despite his height.

Ezequiel Vidal González – 18 years old

The son of Antonio Vidal González, an old Boca tormentor who scored three goals against them for San Martín de Tucumán in a 6-1 thrashing in 1998, this young winger has stood out since arriving at Boca, to the point that he signed his first professional contract at just 16. The Candelaria, Misiones native is taking his first steps in the reserves coming off the bench. He has not yet recorded any starts or goal contributions, but little by little he is beginning to show his potential in the category just below the first team.

Juan Pusseto – 18 years old

He is a winger, but he can also play as a center-forward. The Córdoba native, from the town of Altos de Chipión, showed all his potential in 2025, the year he signed his first contract through December 2027. Along with his great ability to use both feet, he stood out in his age group for his goals, assists, and dribbling. He has logged just 13 minutes in the reserves and was on the bench twice this year.

Kevin Ferreira – 17 years old

Kevin Román “El Picante” Ferreira is another of Boca’s gems born in 2008. The right winger joined the club at the age of six and has been climbing through the youth ranks ever since. Last year, while shining with the U-16s, he got his first opportunity in the reserves, along with the offer of his first professional contract. “My goal is to reach the first team and succeed so I can repay everything my parents did for me,” he told Boca outlet Boca Late. This year he scored his first goal in Mariano Herrón’s reserve side and continues taking firm steps toward his dream of debuting in blue and gold.

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