Rodolfo Arruabarrena would return to Boca's bench after a decade

After announcing the departure of Claudio Úbeda, Boca has already defined who will lead the team starting from the second half of the season. The management led by Juan Román Riquelme has reportedly reached a agreement with Rodolfo Arruabarrena to be the new coach of Xeneize. After progressing in discussions and reaching an understanding on the central aspects of the sports project, both parties are said to be one step away from finalizing the last contractual details and thus bringing the "Vasco" back to the blue and gold bench after ten years.

Pending an official confirmation and according to reports, the contract would extend for 18 months, until December 2027, coinciding with the end of the current presidential term. Once the agreement is signed, Arruabarrena would travel from Spain, where he resides with his family, to formally assume the position and begin working towards the preseason.

Beyond the economic aspect, one of the key points of the talks was related to the composition of the squad. The coach would like to have active participation in the decisions of the upcoming transfer market, both in the arrival of reinforcements and in possible departures. In fact, he would have already familiarized himself with some negotiations initiated by the club and seeks to get involved as soon as possible in assembling the team.

His arrival comes in a complex context for Boca. The elimination in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores dealt a significant sporting blow and increased pressure on the management. In this scenario, the Copa Sudamericana appears as the main objective of the season and as the opportunity to end a long international drought that has persisted since winning the Recopa Sudamericana in 2008. In addition to the continental challenge, at the local level, he will face the Torneo Clausura and what remains of the Copa Argentina, two tournaments in which he will also be obliged to compete for the title.

Previously, the "Vasco" managed the club from the River between 2014 and 2016, a period in which he won several titles. However, his cycle was also marked by some painful eliminations against River, especially in international competitions.

After leaving the club, the Vasco developed much of his coaching career in the Middle East. He went through Al-Wasl, Al-Rayyan, Shabab Al-Ahli, Pyramids FC, in addition to having had an experience at the helm of the United Arab Emirates national team. His last job was at Al-Taawoun, in Saudi Arabia, where he managed from mid-2024 to early 2025, and since then he had been without a team.

The management's intention would be to officially present the new coaching staff in the coming days so that they can settle in the Ezeiza facility and begin planning for a second half of the year that will be decisive for the club's sporting future.

Arruabarrena's numbers in his first cycle at Boca

In his year and a half as coach of Xeneize, the Vasco managed 75 matches, achieving a record of 47 wins, 13 draws, and 15 losses in 75 matches, with a balance of 126 goals for and 60 against. In terms of titles, he won 2: Primera División 2015 and Copa Argentina 2015.