River defined a key element for its new football structure: Pablo Longoria will be the club's new sports director. The 39-year-old Spaniard, with a recent past as president of Olympique de Marseille, has already given the go-ahead and will be officially presented in the coming days
.The election was driven by the leadership led by Stéfano Di Carlo, who prioritized international experience to occupy a strategic role.
Longoria will be responsible for coordinating the work between the management and the Technical Secretariat, with a strong impact on areas such as scouting, youth development and squad planning.
With a career built at a very young age, Longoria started as a scout for Newcastle United after sending reports to different European clubs. He then went to institutions such as Juventus, Valencia, Atalanta and Sassuolo, where he grew to occupy sports management positions
.In Marseille, he took office as sports director in 2020 and a year later he became the youngest president in the club's history. During his tenure in France, he managed to organize the finances and return the team to the Champions League after seven years of absence, consolidating a management model based on economic balance and sports competitiveness
.Its methodology combines intensive use of data with direct observation. Longoria was one of the pioneers in applying Big Data tools to scouting, although he always maintained that the final decision must be complemented by the “human eye”. Its market philosophy is summarized in detecting undervalued talent and empowering players to then generate value, with a logic of "buying low and selling high
”.
In addition, his approach contemplates a comprehensive analysis of the soccer player, including performance, context, personality and projection.
As for coaches, he tends to lean towards profiles with a strong game identity, such as the cases of Marcelino García Toral and Jorge Sampaoli.In Núñez, Longoria will aim to modernize the sports structure, empower the lower divisions, strengthen the recruitment of talent and project the River brand internationally, supported by its network of global contacts. His arrival marks the beginning of a new phase for the club, which seeks to professionalize key areas and sustain a long-term growth model.
