Who are the 14 Boca youngsters in the Libertadores list 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, plus 14 youth players who have yet to make their First Division debut. Take a look.

Fernando Rodríguez – 21 years old

The 2004-born goalkeeper was Mariano Herrón’s backup in the reserve team throughout last year and moved into third place in the coach’s pecking order when Leandro Brey dropped 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 delivering strong performances in a team that had gone unbeaten in the Apertura until the loss to Quilmes. This year he has played five matches, conceded three goals, and kept three clean sheets.

Santiago Zampieri – 18 years old

The left-back from Moreno was one of the pillars of the reserve team that won back-to-back titles. “I’m very solid defensively, 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 biggest strengths: he has great technique to beat defenders and a strong delivery. He has already made 42 appearances, scoring one goal and providing 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 with good ball control, tough marking, and excellent aerial ability, he formed a solid partnership with Mateo Mendía throughout 2025, as 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 regarded within the club and has already played more than 50 reserve matches, 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 young talents in Argentine football as a whole. So much so that in October of last year, The Guardian included him in its traditional “Next Generation” report, which highlights the 60 best talents born in 2008. He was the first player from his age group to sign a professional contract with the club, and despite his young age, he became an undisputed starter in Herrón’s reserve side. Technical, powerful, and showing a maturity far beyond his years, the Morón native proudly admits: “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 to the U-20s.

Gadiel Paoli – 20 years old

The center-back, born in Laferrere but a Paraguay international at youth level, 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 fourth division side throughout last year, he got his chance in Mariano Herrón’s team and is already showing many of his qualities. 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 others on the list, he signed his first professional contract last year through December 2028. He stands out for his intensity in defense, his speed, and his ability to get forward into the opposition half. He also has one particular trait: he can play on the left flank as well. In total, the San Sebastián native has made 35 reserve appearances and recorded two assists.

Dante González – 19 years old

The 2006-born midfielder 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 the final training sessions of the year. Since then, he has alternated between the fourth division and the reserves, always at a good level. He plays mainly as a right-sided central midfielder, although he has filled every midfield role in Boca’s youth ranks. During the second half of last year he barely played for Mariano Herrón’s side, but returned to the starting lineup in the opening rounds of the 2026 Apertura.

Leonel Flores – 19 years old

He was on the first-team bench on two occasions in February of this year, when an injury crisis hit the professional squad’s forwards. Unlike Gonzalo Gelini and Tomás Aranda, two 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 side that won the Clausura title—he scored in the final against Gimnasia—and the Trofeo de Campeones. Now, with the first-team forwards back fit, he will have to keep waiting for his chance while playing for Mariano Herrón’s team.

Rodrigo Bacidalupe – 18 years old

After moving between the fifth division, fourth division, and reserves, the center-forward is beginning to establish himself in Herrón’s team through his goals. He has scored three in seven matches and is one of the few players to have featured in every game so far this year. Although he usually plays through the middle, he is a mobile striker who finds space well away from opposing 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 age group. After a very positive 2024, he signed his first contract with the club and has since started alternating in the reserves. Although he has never been a guaranteed starter, he has always been 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 has 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 is typical for a player his age, he dominates both in his own category and against older opponents. 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 U-17 World Cup—he has yet to make his reserve debut, the team with which he had his first preseason 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 for San Martín de Tucumán in a 6-1 rout 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 reserve team coming off the bench. He has yet to earn a start or record a goal contribution, 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, fully showcased his potential in 2025, the year he signed his first contract through December 2027. Along with his great ability with both feet, he stood out in his category for his goals, assists, and dribbling. He has played 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 from the 2008 class. The right winger joined the club at the age of six and has steadily climbed through the youth ranks ever since. Last year, while starring for the U-17 side, he got his first opportunity with the reserves, as well as an offer of his first professional contract. “My goal is to reach the first team and be successful to make up for everything my parents have done for me,” he told Boca Late, a fan media outlet. 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.