When on Tuesday, there will be a well-known figure back in their starting XI, one who may be there to stay. That player is Leandro Paredes. The 32-year-old Boca Juniors midfielder is expected to take on a deep-lying playmaker role, with coach Leandro Scaloni all but confirming the decision in his pre-match press conference.
The final confirmation will come, of course, when the defending champions announce their line-up for this though speaking the day before the game, Paredes left little doubt about his desire to be involved. Speaking in front of more than a hundred media representatives at Kennesaw University, he said: “I’m feeling nice and relaxed, and I got to help the team, which is the most important thing for me. Hopefully, I can do so again tomorrow.”
As for Scaloni, he set out in the clearest terms the importance of Paredes to the team as he said: “He's a player we know inside out so I don't need to describe him. The team works differently when he’s on the pitch. Alexis has also done very well there, making a huge effort in a position that’s not naturally his own for a run of matches, not just in this competition. But Leandro has played as our number five in most matches. With him there, the team feels comfortable and can reach advanced players more directly. He's a key player for us.”
So far, the involvement of Parades in the has been limited: no minutes against Algeria, eight against Austria, the full match against Jordan and a cameo from the 84th minute against Cabo Verde (extra time included). He is now in line to make his 81st appearance for La Albiceleste.
So why has his involvement grown little by little? “Leandro came into the tournament injured – it's as straightforward as that, nothing else,” explained Scaloni. “Unfortunately, he picked up the injury while with Boca but still made a huge effort to be here. Alexis [Mac Allister] was the natural replacement while Enzo [Fernandez] has been used more as a midfielder who arrives in the box for his club. We chose Alexis to play there when Leandro wasn't available so the main reason was that Leandro was injured.”
Paredes will fulfil his No5 role which will allow Fernandez and Mac Allister to operate higher up the pitch and gain some precious yards. Sacrifice is already stamped in his passport. He recently put his body on the line for Boca Juniors against Universidad Catolica in the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores. He took the risk and paid the price. Boca bowed out of the competition and the San Justo-born midfielder suffered a hamstring injury in his right leg. The date was 28 May.
As a consequence of that injury, Paredes was unable to feature in any of Argentina's warm-up matches. Now, 40 days since his injury, he wants to take up the baton and guide his team into the quarter-finals. And the record books show, he has a habit of delivering at key moments for his country.
While his only knockout-stage start at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ came in the semi-final against Croatia, he took successful penalties in the shoot-outs against both the Netherlands and France.
The CONMEBOL Copa America final in 2024 was another occasion when Paredes began among the substitutes but still left a decisive mark. Argentina and Colombia were locked at 0-0. Leo Messi had left the pitch injured in the 66th minute. As the superstar sat in tears, Paredes came on seven minutes into extra time and once again found himself at the heart of the action. After 112 minutes he regained the ball with a slide tackle in his own half, was involved again down the flank and linked neatly with Giovani Lo Celso, whose pass released Lautaro Martinez to score the only 1-0 goal.
As Paredes himself puts it to the FIFA Max cameras here in North America: “There is no easy match.” A statement beyond dispute. Yet when Leandro is on the pitch, victory for Argentina feels that little bit closer.
Sources: FIFA Official
