SerpApi.Org
Leandro Paredes was welcomed back to Boca Juniors with open arms this week, training normally with the club and reportedly requesting to be included in Thursday's squad, just days after his post-match conduct in the World Cup final made headlines around the world for the wrong reasons.
Parades has refused to apologize after breaking his silence on his antics, and has now made a swift return to full training at his club, despite reports he had been playing through a cracked rib during the final stretch of the World Cup. It is an injury that reportedly made normal breathing difficult but one he chose to push through given the stakes of the match.
Boca's medical staff are expected to conduct further testing on the injury now that he's back in Argentina, with the club needing to balance his availability against the risk of aggravating the issue ahead of a busy stretch of fixtures, including a Copa Sudamericana round-of-32 clash against O'Higgins on Thursday at La Bombonera, a second leg in Chile on July 30, and a Clausura Tournament opener against Riestra in between. It comes as Argentina committed one final unsportsmanlike act during Spain's medal ceremony.
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"Back home. Our captain," Boca Juniors wrote on social media alongside a photo of Paredes, a warm reception that stands in stark contrast to the criticism the midfielder faced following Argentina's 1-0 extra-time defeat to Spain in Sunday's final.
The club later confirmed the encouraging update on his fitness, saying he trained normally and requested to be included on Thursday, while shaping up to be a starter.
Paredes' rapid reintegration comes just days after his conduct in the aftermath of Argentina's World Cup final loss drew widespread criticism.
The 32-year-old was involved in a heated post-match confrontation with Spain's players, part of a broader physical altercation that also involved Argentina teammates Nahuel Molina and Nicolas Otamendi.
Paredes was seen grabbing Spain's Eric Garcia by the neck and knocking Gavi to the ground amid the chaos.
It marked far from the first time Paredes has found himself at the center of controversy on the pitch.
During the 2022 World Cup quarterfinal against the Netherlands, he committed a reckless late tackle on Nathan Ake before deliberately blasting the ball into the Dutch bench, sparking a bench-clearing brawl in which Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk forcefully confronted him.
In 2020, while playing for Paris Saint-Germain, Paredes was sent off during a mass brawl with Marseille players in a match that saw five total red cards issued.
He also picked up two rapid yellow cards for dissent while playing for Roma in 2024, and was accused by Zenit St-Petersburg fans in 2018 of deliberately getting himself sent off to secure an earlier flight home to Argentina.
Despite that history, Boca's warm welcome suggests the club is prioritizing Paredes' importance to the squad over any fallout from his conduct in New Jersey.
It comes after FOX reporter Jenny Taft was slammed for her behavior in an interview with Trump before the World Cup final.
