La Derecha Diario 10 years after River's third Libertadores: what happened to its protagonists
Marcelo Gallardo's team defeated Tigres in the final and became champions again after 19 years; today, those who were part of that memorable team are following very different paths
On August 5, 2015, River defeated Tigres de México 3-0 at the Monumental and won the Copa Libertadores after almost two decades. It was a campaign remembered for the agonizing qualification to the round of 16, the pepper spray scandal with Boca, and the thrashing of Cruzeiro in Brazil.
A decade after that night, we review where the protagonists of the final are that gave the Millonario its third "Eternal Glory" title.
The starters
Marcelo Barovero (41): a key player in the cup for his saves. He left in 2016 for Mexico, where he stayed until 2023, when he returned to Argentine soccer to wear Banfield's jersey, the team where he would retire a year later. He currently has an academy in Pilar.
Camilo Mayada (34): right back in the final due to Gabriel Mercado's injury. After being crowned in the legendary Madrid final against Boca, in 2019 he went to San Luis in Mexico. In this transfer window, he was introduced as Danubio's new signing.
Jonatan Maidana (40): one of the most significant players of the entire Gallardo era. He left the club after the Madrid final for Toluca in Mexico, returned in 2021, and stayed until the end of 2023, when he would announce his retirement from professional soccer. Today he plays for River's Senior team.
Ramiro Funes Mori (34): the scorer of the decisive goal in the final. After his time in Europe, Asia, and Mexico, he returned in 2023; however, he was unable to establish himself, so he left at the beginning of 2025 for Estudiantes de La Plata.
Leonel Vangioni (38): assisted Alario in the first goal of the final. After his brief experience at Milan and his stints at Monterrey and Libertad (with a little over a year of inactivity in between), in 2022 he returned to the club where he was born: Newell's. At the beginning of the year, he joined Quilmes.
Carlos Sánchez (40): scored the second goal of the final. At the beginning of 2016, he left as a free agent for Monterrey, where he stayed until 2018, when he joined Santos. In 2023, the Uruguayan returned to his country to wear the jerseys of Peñarol and Uruguay FC. Today, he plays in Uruguay's lower division for Rentistas.
Leonardo Ponzio (43): he never left River after his arrival in 2012 and retired in 2021. He is currently part of the Millonario's technical secretariat.
Matías Kranevitter (32): after his stints in Spanish, Russian, and Mexican soccer, he returned in 2023. Although he is part of the current squad, today he is looking for a club due to his low performance and alternatives in his position.
Nicolás Bertolo (39): after his multiple comings and goings between River and Banfield, and a brief experience at Platense, he played half a year at Fénix in 2024. At the beginning of the year, he retired.
Fernando Cavenaghi (41): after being crowned against Tigres, he had a brief spell at Apoel in Cyprus and retired in April 2016. He is currently president and sporting director of Racing de Montevideo.
Lucas Alario (32): opened the scoring in the final. After spending a few years in German soccer, with a brief spell at Internacional de Porto Alegre, he joined Estudiantes de La Plata at the beginning of the year.
The substitutes who came on and those who stayed on the bench
Sebastián Driussi (29): after his stints in Russian and American soccer, he returned in 2025 and is recovering from an injury.
Luis Oscar González (44): he left the club in 2016, was without a team for a couple of months, and joined Atlético Paranaense as a free agent, where he stayed until 2021, when he retired. He is currently an assistant coach at Porto.
Leonardo Pisculichi (41): He was the one who assisted Funes Mori in the third goal. After playing for Vitória and Argentinos Juniors, in 2019 he joined Burgos in Spain, where he would retire in 2021.
Substitutes: Julio Chiarini (retired), Eder Álvarez Balanta (América de Cali), Gonzalo Martínez (returned to River in 2023), Javier Saviola (retired).
Absent in the final
Gabriel Mercado (38): he could not be in the second leg due to an injury in the first match in Mexico. Since 2021, he has been at Internacional de Porto Alegre.
Rodrigo Mora: he stayed at River and retired after the 2018 final due to physical complications. Today he plays for the club's Senior team.
Teófilo Gutiérrez (40): he went to Sporting de Lisboa after the quarterfinals with Cruzeiro. After his time in Europe, the Colombian returned to Argentina (Rosario Central) and then played for several teams in his country's soccer. Today he is going through his fourth spell at Junior de Barranquilla.
Ariel Rojas: after his time at Cruz Azul, he had a second spell at River between 2017 and 2018. In May 2024, he hung up his boots at Belgrano and spent some time as the club's sporting coordinator.
Germán Pezzella: after his multiple stints at Fiorentina and Betis, the world champion returned to River in mid-2024.
Other members of the official squad list were Guido Rodríguez (world champion / West Ham), Osmar Ferreyra (Retired), Augusto Batalla (Rayo Vallecano), Bruno Urribarri (Retired), Augusto Solari (Unión), Lucas Boyé (Granada), Emanuel Mammana (Vélez), Tabaré Viudez (Montevideo Wanderers), Ezequiel Cirigliano (Without a team since 2024), Juan Kaprof (Quilmes), Gio Simeone (Napoli), and Tomás Martínez (Melgar).
More posts: