5 forgotten players who fell off the footballing map after moving to Argentina
Nowadays, you hear more about the Argentinian top flight as a hotbed of footballing wonderkids, but there are a few grizzled veterans plying their trade over there that you haven’t thought about in a long while.
The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez have all made the step up to top European clubs in recent years, but famous clubs like Boca Juniors and River Plate also boast some established stars that have moved in the other direction.
Here are five footballers who have fallen off the map after going to Argentina.
Iker Muniain
On the one hand, we have nothing but respect for Muniain searching out a new and different challenge after over 15 years with Athletic Bilbao.
It’s wild to think he only recently turned 32, having made his senior debut all the way back in 2009 before featuring prominently under Marcelo Bielsa for that unforgettable Athletic side that made it to the Copa del Rey and Europa League finals in 2012.
Last season he had the perfect send-off by finally winning the Copa del Rey, having finished runner-up on three occasions prior to that.
But you’d think he could still be of service for his boyhood club, and there may be a tinge of regret seeing them flying high under Ernesto Valverde, looking well-placed to return to the Champions League after a ten-year absence.
A rare European playing out in Argentina, Muniain joined struggling San Lorenzo in the summer. They went on to finish a dismal 24th in the 2024 season. He’ll surely be hoping for better for his first full campaign.
Edinson Cavani
We’re arguably being a bit harsh with this one.
Cavani in Boca’s iconic kit is one of those combinations that just feels so right, and within a few months of signing for the Argentinian giants he was starting in the Copa Libertadores final, the biggest showpiece occasion in South American club football.
Firing a giant club like Boca to Libertadores glory always felt like Cavani’s ultimate destiny following his brilliant, trophy-laden peak years in Europe.
Unfortunately his twilight years in Buenos Aires have been no fairytale. Boca lost that final in extra time to Fluminense, and he still awaits a first trophy with the club after a disappointing 2024 campaign saw them finish an underwhelming sixth in the league while going out in the Round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana.
Lucas Martinez Quarta
Perhaps it’s a bit early to make this judgement, given that Quarta has only just rejoined River Plate from Fiorentina.
It was only in the summer gone that he last extended his contract at the Stadio Artemio Franchi to 2028, but he struggled for Serie A starts this season.
The centre-back may well go on to smash it back home, once again working under the brilliant Marcelo Gallardo, and continue to receive Argentina call-ups after featuring in their Copa America-winning squads in 2021 and 2024.
But this feels like a bit of a backwards step for Quarta, who you felt had always had the potential to use La Viola as a stepping stone to one of Europe’s top clubs while nailing down his place as Nicolas Otamendi’s successor in the heart of Argentina’s backline.
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German Pezzella
Pezzella briefly overlapped with Quarta at Fiorentina before signing for Real Betis with a brilliant, Grand Theft Auto-inspired announcement video back in 2021 – which saw him return to the Estadio Benito Villamarin for a second stint.
Another centre-back, he wasn’t the flashiest footballer in the world but he received 42 caps for Argentina and has been part of the squad for all four of the major trophies that they’ve won under Lionel Scaloni in recent years, while at Betis he won a Copa del Rey and was largely consistently dependable for a side that consistently have pushed for the European spots under Manuel Pellegrini.
Now he’s back where it all began at River Plate, but like their rivals Boca they too underwhelmed in 2024, finishing fifth while failing to make it to any major finals.
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Carlos Sanchez
Remember him? Colombian fella that confused David Cameron no end by turning out for both his claret and blue loves, Aston Villa and West Ham.
Turns out he’s still playing, at the age of 38, for lesser-known Argentinian side Barracas Central.
After a short-lived stint at Watford in 2021, the defensive midfielder spent two years back in Colombia with Santa Fe before spells with San Lorenzo and Barracas Central.