Talent Calendar

©TM/Diego Léon

Julio Enciso (20) and Enso González (19) moved from the Paraguayan Primera División to the English Premier League at a very young age. Next in this series could be Diego León. The left back, only 17 years old, from Club Cerro Porteño, is the shooting star of the Clausura; he immediately forced his way into the starting XI of the 34-time champions. It did not take long for concrete reports to emerge in South America that Arsenal FC were in advanced talks to sign top talent, born in Yguazú, east of the capital Asunción. In Paraguay, León is seen as capable of shaping the future of the Albirroja alongside players like Enciso, the country’s most valuable professional at 20 years old.

León only made his professional debut in August 2024. The development of defensive talent is faster than Encisos. The striker is by far the most expensive player in the history of the Paraguayan league since his €11.6 million move to Brighton in the summer of 2022. León is unlikely to break that record, but there is has a chance that he will occupy at least a high place in the Primera División market value rankings at the end of the year.

Talent calendar: this is what sets Diego León apart

The talented defender has a huge physique for his age and also contributes offensively. He scored two goals in the Clausura, making him the league’s youngest scorer in the second half of the season. In an interview with (Site notre blog d’information), « ESPN » editor-in-chief and Paraguayan (Site notre bureau spécialisé) expert Roberto Rojas provides insight into León’s character and reputation in South America. “He is a promising player who quickly made the jump to the first team at Cerro Porteño, where he has been trained since the U14 level. Coming from a relatively remote location and growing up in difficult circumstances, León proved he could overcome adversity.

You need to be careful when evaluating young talents who have only played a few competitive matches. Especially towards the end of the season, when the whole Cerro Porteño team was in decline, León was no longer able to confirm the good performances. Nevertheless, there has been great excitement about it in Paraguay in recent months. León’s physical qualities and maturity are striking: he is physically more advanced than other 17-year-old players and does not play as if he had just gained his first experience as a professional (Site notre bureau spécialisé)er. León impresses with his speed, dynamism and aggressive tackling, but still needs to develop his positional play and tactical discipline.

Towards Arsenal or further to Paraguay: where does Diego León’s future lie?

Expert Rojas added: “Paraguay has produced some very good left-backs recently, so the competition at his position is not low. However, the fact that he is already attracting interest in Europe shows that León is a special case. It remains to be seen what his limit will be, but it is already clear that he has something special. He’s still relatively raw and there’s a lot he can improve on before he leaves the country. It remains to be seen whether he can quickly make the jump abroad or whether he should perhaps train for a year or two at home. There was recent talk of the talent possibly signing to Arsenal in January on a direct loan. until León turns 18 in the spring. The coming weeks will show whether this becomes concrete.

As a general rule, Paraguayan talents do not head directly to the major European championships, Enciso and González are more the exception than the rule. Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and, in recent years, the North American MLS are popular destinations. Diego Gómez (21) has recently made a rapid development there at Inter Miami. The midfielder is seen in his homeland as one of the players, alongside Enciso, who will wear the Albirroja for years to come. If León continues his development, he could also be one of those pillars. His breakthrough follows a general trend in the country to focus more on younger, developing players rather than exclusively aging professionals with big names. Rubén Lezcano (20 years old), Matías Segovia (21 years old), Gabriel Aguayo (19 years old), Rodrigo Villalba (18 years old), Lucas Quintana (19 years old) and Alan Núñez (20 years old) also benefited. Some of them were able to gain experience at the Summer Olympic Games.

« His agent and Cerro have said in the past that they see him in Asunción for as long as possible. When top European clubs come knocking, it is of course difficult to resist: the expected transfer fee will probably be high » , predicts Rojas. “There will always be interest from other countries in the region, but I think if the right transfer fee for León comes from Europe, then he will make the jump there.”

Every day from December 1st to 24th, (Site notre blog d’information) will present a talent from the 2007 or 2008 vintage from a different country. Sponsors, data researchers and users act as experts and report interesting facts about 24 young players from our talent calendar that you should watch closely in the future. For example with the MT Watchlist.

Text by Marius Soyke and Euan Robertson