Only two Boca players called up by Lionel Scaloni | OneFootball

The list from Lionel Scaloni for the last double round of Qualifiers on the road to the 2026 World Cup brought with it a piece of news that made waves at Brandsen 805: Leandro Paredes, midfielder for Boca, will once again wear the Argentine national team jersey.

This is no small detail: throughout the tenure of the World Cup-winning coach, only two “Xeneize” players have been called up to the senior squad.

The first was Nicolás Valentini, in March 2024, when the central defender was surprised by his inclusion in the friendlies against El Salvador and Costa Rica in the United States.

That call-up made him the club’s only representative during this cycle, although he did not get any playing time and his participation remained a formative experience.

Now, the inclusion of Paredes changes the scene. After returning to the club in 2025 to strengthen the midfield, the former Roma and PSG player was included in the list of 29 players to face Venezuela at the Monumental and Ecuador in Guayaquil.

His presence not only continues to add quality to the national team in midfield, but also reactivates Boca’s representation in the “Albiceleste”, something that has been elusive in recent years.

In a cycle marked by the predominance of players based in Europe, Boca has only managed to contribute two names in almost six years: Valentini and Paredes. A striking contrast with other times when local league players had a bigger role.

The call-up of Paredes, then, not only means that Scaloni continues to choose him as a key figure in the national team, but also serves as a vindication for the club from La Ribera: in the Scaloni era, Boca has only had two call-ups, and now is back in the spotlight with one of its most representative players.

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