The players of the Argentina national team finalists at the World Cup in Qatar who were tested in Boca and River, but did not stay

It is common to hear stories of boys who dreamed of being successful in football, but fell by the wayside. In turn, there are many players who have proven themselves Mouth Y Riverthe two busiest clubs in the town, but they had no luck that day and had to find another route.

Even some players in the roster of Argentina national team which is at the end of Qatar World Cup 2022 They were marked by that fate.

Many of the essential players in Lionel Scaloni’s squad tried out at Núñez and La Boca in his youth days. After several years they ended up in elite football and made history with the blue-and-whites. who are they?

The river allowed Messi to pass

The first case is known and emblematic. It concerns Lionel Messiwho had a fleeting trial for River Plate in August 2000.

“I had a test in River and they told me to come back. They told me they would pay for the treatment but that I had to get the pass from Newells. I didn’t even try it because I knew it was impossible,” recalled the Rosario star in an interview about that moment.

Messi broke it in those matches before the ninth match against the 1985 category of River. But despite his enormous talent, the mile he missed his chance. Frederick Vairoin charge of bringing test players from the different provinces of the country at the time, he recalled in an interview with C5N: “The Football Subcommittee saw him very young. They should have given him a pension, but there was no pension in children. I insisted and they told me that so many people had been tested in River that if we had lost that boy there would have been no problem “.

“I told them it was different, a mix of Sívori with Maradona, but there was no coincidence. I think the question arose because a group of former River players had many interests in Renato Cesarini (a youth training club on the outskirts by Rosario). They put their players in. Messi wasn’t left because of that problem”. From there to Barcelona, ​​which resumed its hormonal treatment. The rest is history.

The ‘no’ to Dibu Martínez

Emiliano Martinez He was another player who was about to sign for one of the two most popular clubs in the country. However, Boca and River missed their chance and they did Independent to which it opened its doors I drew.

Robert Chub González, its great discoverer, recalled in dialogue with ‘Doble Amarilla’ about the goalkeeper of the Argentina national team: “He was very disciplined, from an early age. He always had a good physique, something they were looking for from Buenos Aires and that’s why I decided to take him for a test. I had it here in Mar del Plata, but I’ve already seen the conditions for him”.

“First we went to Boca and he didn’t stay, then the same thing to River and finally we brought Santoro (Miguel Ángel) to Independiente, who has a great eye for goalkeepers. In half an hour he saw him save and he automatically signed him”, complete.

At 13 he joined the ‘Rossa’ and he left very young Arsenal of England, at 19, after having shone in the South American Sub 17 with the youth team. In the London club he had no resumptions and his career went from loan to loan club of the English promotion.

In 2019 Martínez played for promotion for Reading and, mid-year, rejoined the ‘Gunners’. After the injury of Bernd Leno He was Arsenal’s starting goalkeeper in the FA Cup and Community Shield finals, in mid-2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

He made his debut for the Argentina national team on June 3, 2021, at the age of 28, to then start the 2021 Copa América with lucid performances. A history of continuous improvement. This Sunday he will be Argentina’s starting goalkeeper in the World Cup final.

A “spider” in La Boca

Giuliano Alvarez He almost signed for Boca and Real Madrid before joining River Plate. The spider’ He grew up in Calchín, a town of just over three thousand inhabitants 120 kilometers from the capital Córdoba. He trained at Club Atlético Calchín thanks to his discoverer Hugo Rafael Varas.

First they gave him a test at ‘Xeneize’ in 2011 which was cut short by his desire to play for River. They also offered him an opportunity at Real Madrid in Spain. However, he was not signed by the Merengue club as the policy was to add players from the age of 13. I was 11. He returned to Córdoba and continued to play in Calchín.

At 15 he went to live in Buenos Aires and signed for River Plate. The rest is history. Gallardo quickly brought him up to train with the Reserve and First Division when he saw his condition. He exploded in Argentina and mid-season in England with Manchester City. Now he has already scored four goals at the World Cup in Qatar.

The influence that frustrated ‘Licha’

Lisandro MartínezManchester United defender and an important part of La Scaloneta, he joined Newell’s youth academy in 2014, after Boca’s talent scouts saw him in a test and decided to pass up an opportunity to sign him.

Before being a defender, he played in midfield. A midfielder with a lot of individual technique who even wore the number 10 on his back at Club Atlético Libertad de Gualeguay. He took the reins of his team and, in this capacity, got a test in the “Xeneize”.

He went to Buenos Aires and showed all his talent by flying down the left wing. But he didn’t stay due to an unusual situation: “I didn’t stay. I did three tests. I remember that in the last one I had the flu for two days and then they never called me again. There I tried driving on the left”recalled Martínez in an interview with ESPN.

The Butcher He signed for Newell’s, but he didn’t blow up in Rosario. The best version of him was seen in Defense and Justice who added him in mid-2017. Then, he moved to Ajax Amsterdam and is currently at Manchester United. Of course, playing as a defender.

Montiel and the famous change of route

Gonzalo Montiel He had an outstanding performance in the Maracana final against Brazil, in the 2021 Copa América, both in attack and defense. And he is an indispensable piece in the assembly of Lionel Scaloni’s squad, even if in this World Cup Nahuel Molina has played most of the minutes.

Before landing in Núñez, when he was still playing for the club the fellingby González Catán cheek He did a test at Huracán and Boca. But he didn’t stay in either of them. He played as a central midfielder and the idea of ​​going back and forth on the right wing was still far away for him.

“Al Boca was more or less like at Huracán, they didn’t look at us, they played football there and left me on the sidelines. My parents spent a lot of money on the group and it didn’t make sense. I was like that for a month and I came back to play at Tala every Saturday, until they gave me the test at the River”told Montiel in an interview with The graphics.

Montiel played all of River’s lower teams as a central midfielder until he started playing centre-back in the reserve. He then continued to play at right back. From the ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ in Seville in Spain, while she has become a regular presence in this Selection.

The bull that Boca rejected

​Lautaro Martinez He was on trial at Boca Juniors when he was 15 but was shockingly rejected for lack of ‘speed’ and ‘power’.

The 25-year-old from Bahia had to suffer a lot before exploding in racing. In an interview with ESPNthe Bull he recalled the time he was taken off the test and recounted the reasons: “They told me I didn’t have any power or speed, to work on that and maybe in the future I could come back.”

Furthermore, she added: “When I was 11 they had called me, but my mother would not let me go because I was very young. At 15 I made the decision to go because they had come back looking for me. After that answer I returned to Bahía Blanca. I was a bit resigned and angry.”

San Lorenzo was another of those who gave the thumbs up: “It was a bit strange. We had a training session with the test boys against the AFA boys and I didn’t touch a ball. This makes it difficult for one to be seen .”

Racing took advantage of the indecision of Boca and San Lorenzo. Lautaro Martínez left Club Atlético Liniers de Bahía Blanca to join Academy after the insistence of Fabio Radaelli, at the time coordinator of the ‘Academy’ and with this shirt he made his debut on 31 October 2015 on the 29th of the First Division tournament against North transept coming on as a substitute and replacing idol Diego Milito. Then he went to InterItaly and consolidated as owner in nerazzurri.