Matías Vargas will return to play in Argentine football after six years and will do so wearing the shirt of Gimnasia de Mendoza. The 29-year-old attacking midfielder agreed to join the Lobo from Mendoza for two seasons and is already settled in the province, where he has family roots and chose to continue his career after becoming a free agent from Al-Fateh in Saudi Arabia.
The return of "Monito" came after a transfer market in which his name was on the radar of several clubs. Vélez, the institution where he was trained and shone under the guidance of Gabriel Heinze, was one of the first to try to convince him to return.
The president of Vélez himself, Fabián Berlanga, had acknowledged the contact and explained the conditions of the offer. "I asked him not to get angry because it was the maximum salary. If he chooses something else, that's on him", stated the official. However, the player did not respond to the Fortín's proposal and ultimately opted for Gimnasia.
Vargas had his contract in hand as of June 30, after his time in Saudi football. Before that, he had an extensive career abroad that began in 2019 when he was transferred to Espanyol de Barcelona after establishing himself as one of the great young figures in Argentine football.
His performance at Vélez even led him to be considered by Lionel Scaloni for the Argentine National Team. The coach included him in his first call-up in charge of the Albiceleste in September 2018, while he also was part of the Under-23 team coached by Fernando Batista.
