A New Leonel in the Argentine National Team After the Imminent Departure of Lionel Messi

La Albiceleste thrashed Bolivia 4-0 and proved that it can also function without Messi. The big surprise of the nite was the debut of Leonel Flores, a 19-year-old winger from Boca Juniors, who received all the applause

A thrashing that excites

The Argentine national team had a perfect nite. They thrashed Bolivia 4-0 and made it clear that, despite the absence of Lionel Messi, the team has more than enough resources to remain competitive. But if there is something that remained in the fans' memory, it was the debut of Leonel Flores, a 19-year-old kid who plays for Boca Juniors and who, in his first minutes with the light blue and white jersey, dared to do everything.

Debut with personality

Flores is not a stranger to the Boca world, although his journey in the First Division is short with just 17 matches with the Boca first team and a professional debut that came this very year. However, against Bolivia, the jersey and the stage did not weigh him down. On the contrary, he showed great skill, personality, and confidence, and pulled off a memorable play: he got past three Bolivian defenders with such ease that it made more than one person get up from their seat.

The young man himself recounted after the match what Scaloni asked him before entering: "He told me to do with Argentina what I do at Boca." And that's exactly what he tried to do. Flores made it clear that he has a lot of confidence and personality, and that he is not intimidated by who is in front of him. "I don't care who's in front of me," he said, with a confidence that is surprising for his age.

Patience and protection

The coach Lionel Scaloni, as could be expected, praised his performance. But he also cooled things down and asked for patience: "We have to protect him and support him during his development," said the coach, convinced that Flores, like Franco Mastantuono, is a talent that must be carefully developed, without rush or excessive pressure.

His debut left a promising first glimpse of what he could bring to Argentina in the future. A new Leonel appears on the scene, and although the journey has just begun, the excitement is already in place.