Leonardo Julián Balerdi Rosa (born 26 January 1999) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Marseille and the Argentina national team.
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.
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 â¬15 million for the central defender. An additional â¬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 2019âÂÂ20 season. He was substituted in the 65th minute as Dortmund trailed 4âÂÂ0.
In July 2020, Balerdi signed with Olympique de Marseille on a year loan with an option to buy for â¬15 million. On 3 July 2021, he joined Marseille permanently, signing a five-year contract with the club.
At the start of the 2024âÂÂ25 season, Balerdi extended his contract by 2 more years until 2028, being also promoted as captain of the squad.
He debuted for the Argentina senior squad on 10 September 2019 in a friendly match against Mexico, replacing Lucas MartÃÂnez Quarta in the 83rd minute.
Boca Juniors
Marseille
Argentina U17