Read for 5 minutes18 Jul 2026 07:34 PM IST
91st minute of Argentina’s Round of 16 match against Egypt. The two-goal deficit was overturned. As Lionel Scaloni later said, his team smelled blood. Maybe they smelled a little too much.
A rare one Lionel Messi A miss-pass led to Egypt’s counter-attack. Omar Marmoush had one red shirt on his left side, the other on his right. Next to him is only one Argentina. Leandro Paredes.
Pardes looked around for cover. There was no one there. The centre-backs were pushing forward in search of a winner. One perfect pass, and Argentina are headed home. Marmosh tries a pass for Trezeguet on the left. Pardes had to intervene.
he did
Extending his right leg at precisely the right moment, he blocked what looked like a certain goal. After just 94 seconds, Argentina scored.
Pardes, the master of calculations, had done it again. He has been doing this since childhood.
When he was just seven years old, Ramon Maddoni – the same scout who discovered Carlos Tevez – told Pardes’ parents that their son was ready for the big stage. Only, he had to be taken across the country for tests.
Miriam, his mother, would do that. She had a car. Only, she barely had any money, working as a shoe repairer. Before Google Maps existed, mother and son would punch holes in paper maps, calculating the cheapest route: where to avoid tolls, where to save fuel, carefully counting every kilometer. Back home there was a different reckoning — whether the family could afford butter with noodles.
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Whether picking out passes on the football pitch or plotting routes to distant stadiums, Paredes’ calculations were impeccable.
He had no decisions.
The move to join Boca Juniors over River Plate, as he was a fan, was not ideal. Neither was leaving for Italy, where he moved between Roma, Chievo and Empoli without ever settling. It was Zenit St. Petersburg that finally gave him importance and the 2018 World Cup in Russia became a real hope. “I’m sure the World Cup will be wonderful,” he said.
He wasn’t. Jorge Sampaoli kept him out of the team. Tears followed. Four years later they came again.
By then Scaloni had made Paredes the mainstay of Argentina’s midfield. But 25 days before Qatar 2022, he tore his armband. Alone in the bathroom, he crouches down so his wife and children don’t hear him while the shower is on. Scaloni kept his promise to take him regardless of his fitness, but injury robbed him of his usual influence.
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not now He has become the metronome of Argentina in this World Cup. No player attempted or completed more passes for the defending champion. No one has completed more switches of the game.
Hating stagnation with a passion, Paredes left Boca, the club of his dreams, at 19. Because he was competing with Juan Roman Riquelme, minutes were scarce. He would sacrifice comfort for a few minutes.
Out of the comfort zone
Also Danny Olmo. Barcelona directors were at a loss for words when he decided to leave the fabled La Masia for Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb at 16. and logic.
They don’t want him gone. He only told his representative – South Korea’s Lee Seung-woo – ahead of him, and that opportunities would be limited. The Barcelona deal was still on the table. For most teenagers, that’s good enough.
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Not for Olmo.
He decided to prioritize playing time instead. Dinamo president Mirko Barisic promised him a place in the first team within a year. He also promised that Olmo would one day surpass Luka Modric as the club’s record selling man. Both promises were fulfilled.
There was a price to pay for choosing Croatia. Olmo was not selected for Spain until he joined German side RB Leipzig in 2019. It will not become regular until 2021. Three years later, he was joint-top scorer at the Euros, which Spain won. In this World Cup, he has led La Rosa in assists and creating big chances.
At La Masia, his agent was outraged when he was told that Olmo was only good enough to play second fiddle. According to the agent, Olmo was the best – the club argued that every agent would say that.
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“We will see who is right in the end,” was the last sentence of the meeting.
A decade later, Barcelona signed him for €60 million.
A decade after leaving to play, Paredes returned to Boca Juniors, whose presence had once blocked his path – greeted by Riquelme.
Two unusual journeys will converge Sunday in East Rutherford. Whoever wins that duel could decide who wins the World Cup.
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Leandro Paredes for Argentina |
Dani Olmo for Spain |
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Most Passes Attempted (521) |
Most Big Chances Created (3) |
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Most Passes Completed (496) |
Joint-Supreme Assistant (2) |
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Joint-highest switch of play accuracy (100%) |
Second in chances created (9) |
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Most Participation (1027) |
2nd in ball progress (19) |