He was The second most expensive booster In the history of Boca, a title he shares only with Juan Roman Riquelme, the president on whom he decided to bet so heavily and who to this day is the only player for whom the club has spent more money. However, unlike the idol, Alan Velasco still cannot justify such an investment in the stadium. He didn’t play much, didn’t take advantage of his opportunities, and when he finally started to establish himself within the team, The injury kept him out of action for two months. In any case, his revenge may be closer than it seemed: the former Independiente has fully recovered, is already training alongside the team and everything indicates that he will appear again among those gathered on Sunday, in the semi-final in the Bombonera, against Racing no less.
The 23-year-old playmaker had a bottom-to-top journey at Boca, although that rise came to an abrupt halt during his best footballing moment. Since October 5, in a 5-0 win over Newell’s, he has not added minutes. That day he gave his best performance since his arrival, but he was forced to leave 25 minutes into the second half. Amid the pain caused by the death of Miguel Russo, his injury went unnoticed: the club decided not to publish the medical report and Velasco’s condition remained in the background. In fact, he ended up with a cast on his right leg because of A Rupture of the inner ligament of the knee. The good news is that he did not require surgery, although recovery periods suggest he will miss the final five dates of the Final League as well as part of the way to the Final Four.
And so Velasco He was excluded from the decisive stage of the tournamentincluding the classic match against River and the qualifiers against Talleres and Argentinos Juniors. The team’s collective form has helped make his absence less noticeable, but his return is a positive sign for a Boca team that needs everyone. Even more so now that Carlos Palacios, who came on in his place, suffered a heavy blow against El Bicho: he wanted to clear the ball and ended up colliding directly with the sole of Federico Fattori’s boot, forcing him to leave the field in the second half. If the Chilean does not arrive, Claudio Ubeda deals with different options: Include a more combative footballer to balance Racing’s strength in midfield or bet on someone with similar characteristics, with the ability to generate play in midfield and break lines with his dribbling, such as Kevin Zenón or Velasco himself.
Last week, Alan participated in football training in Ezeiza with the youth team, and on Thursday before the match with Argentinos, He participated for a few moments in the formal rehearsal of the BomboneraWhere Ubeda completed the founding of the team. He was already in good physical condition, but the coach, buoyed by the good results, chose to continue improving his speed to be ready for this condition.
Velasco has taken a lot of time to find his form again since his return from the United States after a long period of inactivity due to injury: Fernando Gago started him only three days after his arrival and his performance was not the best. Furthermore, in his ninth match, He missed the main penalty kick of the series with Alianza Lima Which led to Boca’s exit from the Libertadores Cup. After that night, he spent 35 days without playing due to an alleged injury that was not publicly reported, and when he returned, he rotated between the starting lineup and the bench.
Along with Miguel Russo, Velasco returned to action in the Club World Cup, starting all three matches Miguel Merentel attended In his wonderful goal against Bayern Munich. He later lost the position with Palacios, but when Úbeda took over he regained it, although briefly: he played from the start in the 2-1 defeat to Defensa y Justicia and also in the win over Leprosy, the day he was injured.
Velasco’s stats at Boca reflect 30 appearances – 19 starts, a goal against Independiente Rivadavia in August and an assist for Merentel against Bayern. Throughout this period he received support from both the team and the coaching staff, as well as from Riquelme, who supported him secretly and publicly as well, as when he stated that “as the days go by, he will start dribbling and we will say “How does this boy play?”“.
Velasco trained at Independiente, and now dreams of making another appearance against Racing, an opponent he has faced four times and only managed to beat once: in 2021, 1-0 in the Libertadores de América, with a goal from Silvio Romero. Before, they had registered a defeat in Cilindro, the night of Enzo Copetti’s controversial penalty in stoppage time; And now in Boca, 0-2 in Avellaneda and 1-1 in the Bombonera.
Already with him Medical discharge and footballVelasco will try to reach his best level these days and fight for a place against the Academy, in a favorable context for the team, now without the backpack he carried during his first months and only two matches away from being able to win a title. The perfect scenario for a player returning who will always be asked for more and who now has the perfect opportunity to start pushing with performances.