Going through the jersey’s on the club walls is like reviewing a who’s who list of Argentine football greats. Among them are World Cup laureates, like Qatar 2022 winners Alexis MacAllister and Leandro Paredes, and Sergio Batista and Claudio Borghi, who lifted the trophy in Mexico 1986. There are also an array of superstars who shined on Argentina ‘s national team and top European squads, like Fernando Redondo, Juan Pablo Sorín, and Esteban Cambiasso.

The club in question is none of the famous ones, like Boca, River, or Independiente. It doesn’t even have a stadium, only a set of indoor fields located in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Villa del Parque. This is Club Social y Deportivo Parque, maybe the most important club in Argentine history you have never heard about.

“It’s one of the foundational cradles of Argentine football,” former player and current director César La Paglia told the Herald. And judging from the shirts on display, he’s not overstating it.

The story of Parque, as it’s affectionately known, is the story of a club that has become one of the best youth developers in Argentina, a project spearheaded for decades by legendary scout and coach Ramón Maddoni. But it’s also the story of a place that fosters family-like ties that last well after playing careers are over. In some cases, relationships that turn into actual family.

One could be forgiven for failing to notice anything special about the club’s building. The unassuming façade of the relatively small building, with an entrance to the gymnasiums and a cafe, does not give away the illustrious names that have walked through its doors.

“It remains a neighborhood club,” said........

© Buenos Aires Herald