Who is Leandro Brey, one of Riquelme’s favorites and ‘firefighter’ of the Boca goalkeeper’s problems

Boca has problems in the arc. In less than a week, two goalkeepers were injured, therefore in the classic against racing In the end it was the third goalkeeper of the team who saved, Leandro Brey. And the one who emerged in Los Andes, who arrived at Xeneize two years ago, played only his second match in the club’s First Division, but has more than given results.

Sergio Romero watched the match from a penalty area because a very strong blow to his left heel during the week (in the match against Unión) knocked him out prematurely. His replacement was Javier García, also with a past in Racing, but the experienced goalkeeper was unable to finish the match. In the 27th minute of the second half he felt pain in his left leg and was unable to continue.

Then Brey came in. Thus, the 21-year-old boy was saved again at the Bombonera, two years after his debut, in which he also had to replace the then goalkeeper due to injury. Agostino Rossi. It happened against Always Ready of Bolivia for the Copa Libertadores, a match that Xeneize won 2-0.

His level in the Reserve has attracted the attention of many European clubs, who have him in their sights even if they have not yet made formal offers. This caused itself Juan Roman Riquelmein February 2023 when he was vice president, praised him.

“He will become the goalkeeper of our club. Without a doubt he is on the way to becoming the starter in goal. He was lucky enough to learn from Rossi, García, Romero. He likes to train, he is very serious. He seems like a bigger person, not 20 “I have no doubt that he will be Boca’s goalkeeper for many years. He is a great goalkeeper.”Roman launched.

From defender to gloves, by chance

The former Los Andes player has been at Boca for two years, even if he has only played officially 61 minutes– and at the beginning of 2024 he was goalkeeper of the Under 23 national team, with which he qualified for the Paris Olympics.

He was a hero in the last match against Brazil, with a couple of decisive interventions, although all the flashes went to striker Luciano Gondou, who scored the goal in the 1-0 victory.

Brey graduated high school in the middle of a pandemic. He was in the Ejercito de Los Andes school, near the Milrayitas Eduardo Gallardón stadium.

Brey wore the gloves more out of discard than conviction. He was tested in the central marker Milrayitas. And it stayed. He arrived at the age of 10 to play in the juniors and then began his journey in the Inferiores.

“Then I was free in Novena – he remembers -. Then it occurred to me to try out as a goalkeeper and the truth is that it went very well”.

Football is made up of peculiarities like these. The rest came thanks to Brey’s talent (he is 1.91 meters tall and weighs 89 kilos) and a little luck in going from fourth goalkeeper to substitute in the First Division at just 17 years old.

In August 2020, while attending the club’s school and training at the Villa Albertina property, he signed his first contract. This market, without relegations and added to the economic problems resulting from the pandemic, has led the promotion clubs to encourage the projection of the club’s boys and to get rid of many contracts, including those of goalkeepers Daniel Monllor and Elías Frets.

Federico Díaz, the owner, and Brey remained.

“In some training sessions I played as a midfielder so I know that role too. Then I started as a goalkeeper and stayed there,” he noted in an interview.

Everything happened at an accelerated speed. He made his debut in March 2021 with Los Andes when in the 15th minute of the first match against Argentino de Quilmes he came on following Federico Díaz’s red card. He obeyed and never came out again.

His arrival at Boca came as a bet on the future and to replace Agustín Lastra, who went on loan to Aldosivi, after having renewed his contract until 2026.

The 17 million peso scandal

In April 2023 Leandro Brey’s name once again took center stage. He had nothing to do with sports. But Omar Pianipresident of the club from the south of Greater Buenos Aires, he went to the bank to look for the money for the goalkeeper’s transfer to Boca and when the time came to open the safe that supposedly contained them There was not a single ticket from the transaction.

The director of the institute Lomas de Zamora took a photo with the empty safety deposit box and caused concern among his fans, since this large sum of money is essential for the active life of the club and its operational functioning.

In 2022, Brey’s transfer to Boca closed for just over 450 thousand dollars for 90% of the goalkeeper’s salary. That money for a promotion club – Milrayitas is the leader of Primera B – is synonymous with luck. The buyer had given a check for 17 million pesos to have the player delivered to him and then made another one for the remaining 23 million.

Grosi, head of a construction union parallel to UOCRA, was accused by Plaini of having prevented him from entering the plants during the 2021 elections with the help of barrabravas, who he had transformed into his praetorium and to whom he had entrusted the total business management. the ownership of Villa Albertina, where the lower divisions train.