One thing is to enter the game well; another is to stand out and determine the most decisive part of the match. Boca is in a stage where the team, at times, lacks creativity. And when that happens, it's no longer about promises. In a team that often runs out of ideas, his presence was a message: if Boca needed a leader, one appeared today. The kid who changed the script. Until Aranda got into the game, Boca was stuck in a repetitive plan: slow circulation, few breaks, too much wing play and little imagination in the center. Aranda gives off that feeling of those born to play for Boca: they don't shrink, they don't negotiate the ball, and they don't fade when the pressure is on. And that's what the fan saw today: a kid who doesn't seem to be passing through, but rather seems to have arrived to stay. Úbeda sees it, the fans ask for it, and Boca needs it. Claudio Úbeda had already left a phrase that served as a preview: if he continued like this, he wouldn't take long to earn a starting spot. Today, he did something that is worth double at Boca: he ignited hope. And Boca has more of it. Not for the position: for the energy. Comparing him to Tevez by position would be a mistake: Carlitos was another thing, another role. In a Boca that had been needing a spark, a change of temperature, the 18-year-old kid was that and more: he broke the game against Lanús, created the goals, and left a feeling that the stands detects quickly when it's authentic: that of a footballer who doesn't play 'to see what happens,' but plays to make things happen. What impresses is not only the technique—which he has—but the decisiveness. If the kid continues like this, the equation is simple: more minutes, more protagonism, more responsibility. Today, against Lanús, Tomás Aranda not only played well. Aranda understands where important football is played: in the square meter where they hit you, press you, and force you to think quickly. Today he took a big step in that direction. There, 'being skillful' is not enough; you have to have a head. It's about the present. Aranda plays with that confidence that cannot be explained by age or context. Lanús was pushing him out and closing his vertical passing lanes. He is not the typical youth player who needs the game to be 'friendly': Aranda dives into the mud just the same. The next Tevez? Buenos Aires, March 4 (NA) – Tomás Aranda didn't come on to add minutes: he came on to command. But football doesn't always wait. He receives the ball and doesn't hide, asks and doesn't hesitate, attacks and doesn't rush. And the kid has it. 'The best of the youth,' but already with the face of a first-team player. Within Boca, they have been talking about him for a long time. Mauricio 'Chicho' Serna defined him as 'the best player in the youth ranks,' and although that phrase is often exaggerated, with Aranda it doesn't sound so. And when a youth player appears and solves things with such naturalness, the debate becomes inevitable: how long will he be a 'project' and when will he be 'reality'? Aranda has a contract until December 2029, and at the club they look at him logically: to take him step by step so he doesn't skip stages. Real production: goals and assists, but above all influence. At 1.64m and a physique still in development, what he does is use his tools to his advantage: he slips, feints, touches and goes. He seems fragile, but he is slippery. But if the comparison is for something deeper—personality, ascendancy, football rebellion—then it is understood why he is so exciting. His career path supports him: captain in the champion Seventh division, the jump to the Reserves, a professional contract in 2024, and in 2025, an explosion with the number 10 on his back in a team that was two-time champion. With Aranda on the field, the map changed: the through pass began to appear, the short touch to get out of pressure, and the classic movement of the attacking midfielder: receiving between the lines and turning. That's what makes him different.
