Leonardo Balerdi

Leonardo Julián Balerdi Rosa (born 26 January 1999) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Marseille and the Argentina national team.

Boca Juniors
Balerdi made his debut for Boca Juniors in the Argentine Primera División starting against Club Atlético Huracán on 27 August 2018. Although only appearing 5 times for Boca Juniors (a total of 450 minutes on the pitch ), Balerdi's performances took Argentinian football by storm and he has rapidly been hailed as Argentina's best upcoming defender.

Borussia Dortmund
In January 2019, Balerdi agreed to a four-and-a-half-year contract with Borussia Dortmund. According to several Argentine reports, Dortmund has agreed to pay €15 million for the central defender. An additional €2 million might need to be paid due to agreed add-ons.

Balerdi made his Dortmund and Bundesliga debut on 7 December 2019 against Fortuna Düsseldorf coming onto the pitch as a substitute in the 78th minute. After a few substitute appearances, Balerdi made his first start against 1899 Hoffenheim in the last Bundesliga fixture of the 2019–20 season. He was substituted in the 65th minute as Dortmund trailed 4–0.

Marseille
In July 2020, Balerdi signed with Olympique de Marseille on a year loan with an option to buy for €15 million. On 3 July 2021, he joined Marseille permanently, signing a five-year contract with the club.

International career
Balerdi holds both Argentine and Italian nationality, but chose to represent his place of birth. He debuted for the Argentine senior squad on 10 September 2019 in a friendly match against Mexico, replacing Lucas Martínez Quarta in the 83rd minute.

Honours
Boca Juniors
 * Copa Libertadores runner-up: 2018

Marseille
 * Trophée des Champions runner-up: 2020

Argentina U17
 * South American U-20 Championship runner-up: 2019