Lionel Messi and company: who are and where did the 23 Argentines who play the Champions League come from

Martina rossi

10/20/2020 11:50 AM

• Clarín.com

• sports

Updated 10/20/2020 11:51 AM

The 2020-2021 Champions League begins.

And the spotlights point to the figure of Lionel Messi.

It is that the last image of the Argentine in matches for the Orejona was that of Lisbon with a lost gaze while Bayern Munich built that 8-2 that made Barcelona crunch.

Then everything rushed out.

Burofax, Ronald Koeman and motion of censure against Josep María Bartomeu, now again in the spotlight for wanting to lower the salary of the campus without any consultation.

But Messi is also in Messi mode.

He wants to win everything he plays.

As usual.

Even in what may be his last dance with Barcelona, ​​he is the celestial and white standard bearer in the competition.

But you are not alone.

There will be 23 Argentines among the 800 footballers who will start this group stage.

The captain of the National Team, fully trained in the lower ranks of Barcelona after a brief stint at Newell's, is the emblem of Argentine football that continues to produce good players despite recurring crises.

Lionel Messi in the last La Liga match against Getafe.

Photo: AFP

Where did the other 22 footballers from these lands come from who will seek to make history in the most important club tournament in the world?

Boca is the club whose seedbed contributed the most to the rosters of the 32 participating teams.

But there are more "contributors."

Here a little review.

In addition to Messi, Spanish clubs will have four other Argentine representatives in the Champions League.

Ángel Correa, current Atlético de Madrid player, trained in the youth divisions of San Lorenzo, where he made his debut in 2013.

And Sevilla has the presence of three ambassadors: Franco Vázquez, who trained in Belgrano and made his debut there in 2007;

Lucas Ocampo, who emerged from the lower ranks of River and began to show himself in 2011, in the unfortunate times of the Primera B Nacional, and Marcos Acuña from Neuquén, the footballer appeared in the Ferro quarry, where he also arrived at Primera in 2011.

Nicolás Tagliafico is the undisputed owner of Ajax Amsterdam and the Argentine National Team.

He shone in Independiente before jumping to Europe, but he trained in the lower ranks of Banfield, where he made his debut in 2011. Lisandro Martínez, his teammate, did his youth training at Newell's and made his debut in 2017 to later show his virtues in Defense and Justice .

Nicolás Tagliafico, one of the national team's figures, playing a match with his current club, Ajax.

Photo: AP

Alejandro Gómez, Papu, will return to play the Champions League with Atalanta, one of the surprises of last season.

Nephew of Hugo Villaverde, a legend from Independiente, he trained at Arsenal and his sporting debut was in 2005. Papu passed through San Lorenzo before migrating to Europe with his irreverent football.

And from there came José Luis Palomino, another great value of Atalanta, who made his inferiors in San Lorenzo, a club in which he started professionally in 2009. The other Argentine who makes up this team is Cristian Romero, a strong defender who took his first steps in Belgrano de Córdoba, where he debuted in 2016.

Continuing in Italy, Lautaro Martínez, Inter's star forward, trained at Racing where he made his debut in 2015 and left the best memories.

The other Argentine jewel that plays in Serie A, specifically in Juventus, is Paulo Dybala.

He was trained at Instituto de Córdoba and debuted in 2011.

The Argentine jewel, Paulo Dybala, enjoying the last obtaining of Serie A

Joaquín Correa, the scorer of the winning goal in the Argentine National Team's match against Bolivia for the Qualifiers, was formed in the youth teams of Estudiantes, where he made his debut in 2012. The center-forward currently plays in Lazio along with Gonzalo Escalante, who has just finished to return to Calcio after a good time in Eibar.

That was his second stop in Europe after landing in Catania from Boca, where he made the lower ranks and made his debut in First under the guidance of Carlos Bianchi.

And if it is about Boca, it is also time to talk about Leo Balerdi, a promise in defense, who played only 5 official games in the First Division after standing out in the Inferiors, both in the position of central midfielder and defender.

Borussia Dortmund paid 18 million euros for him and he is now on loan at Olympique de Marseille, where he shares the bill with another Argentine.

It is about Darío Benedetto, also with a past in Boca, but made in the lower ranks of Arsenal, where he screamed his first goals far back in 2008.

Balerdi posing with the Olympique de Marseille jersey 5.

Photo: Agencies.

From France it is also PSG, the last runner-up in the Champions League.

And there is Argentine representation there.

Ángel Di Maria threw his first luxurious strikes in Rosario Central.

El Fideo had its debut at the Canalla in 2005. Mauro Icardi, meanwhile, was trained in the lower ranks of Barcelona, ​​but made his debut at Sampdoria in 2012, the Italian club to which he had gone on loan.

He has lived in Europe since he was 9 years old and has not registered with any Argentine club.

The albiceleste staff of PSG is completed by Leandro Paredes, a genuine product of the Boca quarry, where he played 31 games and won two titles before emigrating to Rome.

Sergio 'Kun' Agüero, a Manchester City player, trained as Independiente and made his debut in 2003 at just 15 years old, breaking Diego Maradona's record to become the youngest footballer to debut in the First Division.

In England there is also Wilfredo Caballero, substitute goalkeeper for Chelsea, who lived in Boca's pension, where he made his debut in February 2002 and played officially in 19 games.

Sergio Agüero, will be the representative of Manchester City in the Champions League.

Photo;

AFP

Sebastián Driussi plays in Russia.

He is one of the figures of Zenit de Saint Petersburg, but his origin is the River quarry, where he made his debut in the 2013-2014 season and added 95 games and 27 goals.

The last Argentine representative in the 'Orejona' is also a goalkeeper and it is Agustín Marchesín, who plays for Porto de Portugal.

He started in Huracán de Tres Arroyos and before making his debut in First Division, he went to Lanús, where he turned professional in 2009.

The Porto goalkeeper, passing through Huracán de Tres Arroyos and Lanús, will play the ´Orejona´.

Photo: AFP.

Boca with four players - we must add the Uruguayan Rodrigo Bentancur, from Juventus - is the Argentine club that contributes the most to the Champions cause.

They are followed by San Lorenzo, Belgrano, River and Arsenal with two each.

The list ends with 23 footballers, of which 21 wore the Argentina National Team shirt in one of its categories.