South American football was shaken by unexpected news. The club National surprised by joining his first division squad Santiago Benjamin Galeanoa forward who has barely 13 years and he has already earned a place among the greats.
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The scene in the “Academy” preseason is like something out of a movie: the kid Galeano, with his baby face, shares training sessions with Roque Luis Santa Cruzthe legendary scorer of 44 years which is still in force and is the last survivor of the Paraguayan team that reached the quarterfinals in South Africa 2010.
For the boy, training alongside a South American football leader is a dream come true. And for the club, it is a strong bet on the youth teams: “Fulfilling a dream. At only 13 years old, the player from the Tricolor Quarry, Santiago Benjamín Galeano, is part of the main squad of the Academy in the preseason. Scorer of the 2025 Annual Formative Tournament with Nacional,” they celebrated on their social networks.
Galeano and Santa Cruz, two generations of scorers (Photo: X@clubnacionalpy).
A meteoric leap: from breaking it into inferiors to rubbing shoulders with the stars
The decision of Felipe “Gato” Giménezcoach of Nacional, was not a whim. Galeano just broke it in the Sub 13: he scored 32 goals in 34 games of the 2025 Annual Tournament, he was the top scorer and, in addition, added 27 goals in the Heptagonal Final y 5 goals in the Gold Cup.
The boy is already training at the stadium headquarters Arsenius Aricuswhere the team prepares the 2026 season.
Worth a look
