Los chicos crecen

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Otro botón de muestra de esta nueva realidad del fútbol argentino es justamente la final de la Copa Argentina donde River Plate perdió anoche la posibilidad de jugarla, ya he mencionado que lo harán Argentinos Juniors e Independiente Rivadavia, para los dos será su primera final en este torneo anual que como principales premios tiene una muy importante suma de dinero y otorga una plaza directa a la Libertadores del año próximo.

Los equipos chicos crecen o hay otros motivos. ¿Qué ocurre con los grandes equipos?

Los intentos de explicación son diversos y variados, aunque la realidad del fútbol local muestra que las mejores figuras y los proyectos se van principalmente a los equipos europeos, los poderosos y multimillonarios clubes que no dudan en llevarse cuanto prospecto de buen jugador asoma al ruedo. Mientras tanto, el fútbol local debe conformarse con lo que queda y con los veteranos que regresan de mil batallas en el exterior para sacarse el gusto de despedirse en suelo nacional. En ese contexto, las cosas evidentemente se emparejan.

No creo que los chicos crezcan, más bien pienso que los grandes se están achicando.

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The boys grow up

Heavy rain has been falling since early morning in Buenos Aires and across much of the country. There is some concern for the poorest people who mostly live in the vast and fertile territory of the country's largest province. There are certainly many flooded areas, and the bad weather continues unabated. To make matters worse, tomorrow is election day, a very important one.

Trying to downplay this complex situation, some mischievous people believe it's not rain but the tears shed by River Plate fans, a team that is in a seemingly endless downward spiral. Others, in a similarly mischievous tone, mention that after so much rejoicing over the bad streak that plagued their eternal rival, Boca Juniors, in recent months, the famous karma turned against them, and now they are the ones suffering a long and worrying series of defeats that threaten to knock them out of the fight in the various competitions held this year, primarily the 2026 Copa Libertadores. Far away in the local championship, they were playing for one of their few remaining chances to qualify for the most important club event in all of Latin America; they had to reach the final of the Copa Argentina and then win it; that was their direct ticket.

But River Plate succumbed last night to the very modest Independiente Rivadavia of Mendoza in one of the two semifinals; in the other, Argentinos Juniors emerged victorious against Belgrano de Córdoba and will be the other finalist.

This business of the most modest teams is going from bad to worse, my grandmother would say. This year, the teams with less history and track record (several, except my beloved Lobo from La Plata, whom I continue to patiently await) have taken up the baton of good play and find themselves leading both zones of the always-contested Argentine professional soccer league tournament. Suffice it to say that in Zone A, Central Córdoba de Santiago del Estero leads the table after 13 matches, while in Zone B, the very modest Deportivo Riestra leads the table.

Another example of this new reality in Argentine soccer is precisely the Copa Argentina final, where River Plate lost their chance to play last night. I've already mentioned that Argentinos Juniors and Independiente Rivadavia will both be competing. For both, it will be their first final in this annual tournament, which, as its main prizes, includes a very significant sum of money and grants a direct spot in next year's Libertadores.

Are the smaller teams growing, or are there other reasons? What's happening with the big teams?

The attempts at explanations are diverse and varied, although the reality of local football shows that the best players and projects go mainly to European teams, the powerful, multi-million-dollar clubs that don't hesitate to snatch up any good player prospect who comes their way. Meanwhile, local football must make do with what's left and with the veterans who return from a thousand battles abroad to enjoy the pleasure of saying goodbye on national soil. In this context, things are clearly even.

I don't think the young players are growing; rather, I think the big players are shrinking.