New talented player: Leandro Paredes

Leandro Paredes


Club:Boca Juniors BA
Nationality:Argentina
Age:17
Height:1.8 m / 5.91 ft
Weight:75 kg / 165 lbs
Position:Attacking mid(C)

Leandro Paredes – The successor of Juan Roman Riquelme

The Number10 shirt holds a legendary meaning in the world of football. It has been worn by some of the greatest footballers in history and usually its owner is singled out as the top creative player, the fantasist. It is even more so in Argentina, where it has risen to an almost sacred status, becoming synonymous with the country's undisputable football hero of all times, Diego Maradona (who even named his TV show after his jersey number).

But for the fans of Argentina's most popular club, Boca Juniors, who even had Maradona himself playing for them, in recent years the number 10 has been most commonly associated with Juan Roman Riquelme, the incredibly talented play-maker who led the club to 4 local Championships, 3 Copa Libertadores wins, one Intercontinental Cup win (a glorious victory over Real Madrid) and one South-American Super Cup. With such a legacy behind it, wearing the Boca no. 10 jersey is no small matter. And now, as Riquelme is in the twilight of his career, it seems the golden-blues have already marked his
"It is an honor for me to be compared with Roman", states 17 year-old Leandro Paredes . To everyone in Boca the comparison is inevitable. His position on the pitch, his style of play, his set-piece expertise and his incredible intelligence as he maneuvers his team's attacking moves, all bear a striking resemblance to the reigning 'Numero Diez'. "It is incredible, amazing, to be compared with him. I don't like to talk about myself or compare myself with anyone, although everybody else talk about it. There is only one Roman, I'm not anybody's successor, just a kid who maybe one day could play like he does". Such modesty is in place for a kid who only played once in an official league match (November 2010, under Coach Claudio Borghi), of which he said: "It was unforgettable, imagine I was 16, playing alongside Palermo [Martin], Roman… unbelievable". But modesty aside, Paredes definitely has great aspirations: "I always try to imitate him [Riquelme], I watch him a lot, sometimes I even stay after practice especially to watch him. Like I always watched Zidane. Roman is my role model."

For now, young Leo, who has played for Boca since he was 8 years-old, demonstrates his talent in Boca’s reserve team, where he scored a beautiful long-rage free kick against Argentinos' equivalent last week. Boca's current Coach, Julio Cesar Falcioni, has named Paredes as one of the youngsters who will be given a chance in the first team this coming year, but meanwhile the world got to witness some of his talent: last spring, in the South-American U-17 championship held in Ecuador, he scored 2 goals, created 2 more and was one of his team's best players, alongside Lucas Ocampos, Brian Ferreira and Federico Andrada. Argentina finished 3rd.