Picture this: you are Leandro Paredes, you have just dragged your busted hamstring through the door of a World Cup, and your boss is out here telling anyone with a microphone that the entire team runs differently when you are on the grass. No pressure, right? Well, if anyone can handle that kind of weight on their shoulders, it is the 32-year-old Boca Juniors metronome who has made a second home out of stepping up when the lights are brightest.
Argentina are getting ready to face Egypt in Atlanta for a spot in the quarter-finals, and all signs point to Paredes pulling on the number five shirt and running the show from deep. Coach Leandro Scaloni basically handed him the keys to the midfield kingdom during his pre-match chat with the press, making it crystal clear that while Alexis Mac Allister has done a heroic job filling in, the team simply hums at a different frequency when Paredes is the one orchestrating things. The man himself seemed remarkably chill about the whole situation, telling a room packed with over a hundred journalists at Kennesaw University that he is feeling good, relaxed, and ready to contribute however he can. Classic Paredes energy, honestly.
Here is the backstory that makes this return genuinely cinematic. Paredes wrecked his hamstring playing for Boca Juniors against Universidad Catolica in the Copa Libertadores on May 28th. Boca got knocked out, and he got knocked sideways. No warm-up matches for Argentina, no gentle ramp-up, just straight from the treatment table to the biggest stage on earth. His World Cup minutes so far have been a slow drip: nothing against Algeria, eight minutes against Austria, a full shift against Jordan, and a late cameo versus Cabo Verde. Now, 40 days after the injury, Scaloni is ready to hand him the controls.
The reason this matters so much is tactical architecture. With Paredes sitting in that deep-lying role, both Enzo Fernandez and Mac Allister get to push further up the pitch and operate closer to the danger zones. It is like unlocking a formation cheat code. And if you want proof that this guy delivers when it matters, just rewind the tape. In Qatar 2022, his only knockout start was the semi-final against Croatia, but he coolly slotted penalties in the shootouts against both the Netherlands and France. Then there was the 2024 Copa America final against Colombia: Messi goes off injured and crying in the 66th minute, Paredes comes on in extra time, and by the 112th minute he has made a sliding tackle, linked up with Lo Celso, and Lautaro Martinez is wheeling away celebrating the winner. Coincidence? Not even close.
So when Paredes says there is no easy match, you believe him. But when he is on the field, you also start believing that Argentina have a slightly shorter path to victory. And that, frankly, is the kind of math that wins tournaments.
