Mateo Del Blanco in top 5 breakout stars of 2025 Clausura | OneFootball

The regular stage of the Clausura 2025 tournament has ended and the 16 teams that will compete in the round of 16 for the title have been determined. In this first phase, there were several surprises: from teams that did not meet expectations to others that surprised with their level and in many cases had unexpected stars. Here's a selection of five players who performed very well this semester.

Rodrigo Castillo – Lanús

The 26-year-old forward joined Granate in the middle of this year, coming from Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and emerged as a top scorer: he scored seven goals so far in the tournament and is the second top scorer of the tournament, while he has another three in the semifinals of the Copa Sudamericana in which the southern team will play the final.

Marcelo Torres – Gimnasia

The forward who emerged from Boca, with a great stint in the Argentina U-20 National Team, landed in La Plata in the last transfer window after a journey through the United Arab Emirates and surprised with seven goals in 16 matches, making him one of the top scorers of the Clausura. Additionally, Chelo was key in the final comeback that Lobo had, allowing them to qualify for the round of 16 on the last matchday.

Ayrton Costa – Boca

Boca finished the regular stage as the second-best team of the year and leader of zone A. The final sprint of Xeneize positioned them as contenders, and in the important victories, although renowned players like Zeballos and Paredes stood out, Ayrton Costa was key at the back, having arrived at the beginning of the year without much enthusiasm and gradually earned his place. In the blue and gold, he became unbeatable due to his speed in challenges, strength in one-on-one situations, and great anticipation.

Mateo del Blanco – Unión

After finishing the Apertura in the last place of zone A, in the second semester Unión emerged under Leonardo Madelón and surprisingly finished as Boca's runner-up. Although the key was the team's solidity, on the left flank, Mateo del Blanco stood out for his consistency, starting in all 16 matches of the tournament and contributing one goal and five assists.

Javier Ruíz – Barracas Central

Barracas finished sixth in zone A and one of its main figures was Javier Ruíz, a forward on loan from Independiente who suffered a meniscus tear last semester. In this part of the year, the striker shone with his dazzling dribbles - he is the player who dribbles the most in the Professional League - and contributed two goals and two assists to Rubén Darío Insua's team, which is considering buying his contract due to the great level he demonstrated.

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