Gustavo Velázquez #2

Profile

Velázquez’s emergence has been the most remarkable story in the recent history of the Paraguay team. Excluding a single game he spent on the bench in 2017, he was called up for the first time at 33 years of age, when most uncapped players have already given up on the idea of international honours. But he got a chance before the 2024 Copa América and impressed everyone from the first moment with his defensive qualities: aggression, speed, great vision, and a strong aerial game, despite his 1.79m height, and he has not been left out of a squad since. Velázquez is respected by his teammates and considered one of the leaders of the group, even if he is most often used as a substitute and he has admitted that “my performances have dropped a bit” during a difficult and injury-affected season for Cerro Porteño.

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