A holding midfielder ("volante tapón"), who can also play on either flank; his game is almost entirely defensive — rarely getting forward and rarely scoring. Keeps things simple: wins the ball back and gives it to the better-placed teammate. Nicknamed "el chapa"; never draws attention for spectacular play but reliably wins back large amounts of possession over 90 minutes.
Two league titles with River ('89/90, Apertura '91), two Copa América wins (Chile '91, Ecuador '93). Capped by Argentina after a strong Apertura '91 at River; debuted for the senior team on 13 March 1991 in a 0-0 friendly draw with Mexico at Vélez under Alfio Basile, and featured in both of Argentina's Copa América wins that followed. A key player for Basile through both tournaments and World Cup '94 qualifying, but was ultimately left out of the final 22 for USA '94. Struggled to force his way into Passarella's plans at national-team level despite being a fixture for Passarella at River; eventually capped in qualifying for France '98, starting away to Colombia in Barranquilla, and played — as captain — at the 1997 Copa América in Bolivia, where the national team performed poorly. Came through River's academy, debuting in the Primera División on 12 July 1989 against Deportivo Español. Loaned to Temperley the following season for the promotion tournament, then failed to win a regular starting spot back at River. Became a starter in 1989/90, forming a well-known midfield partnership with Leonardo Astrada — nicknamed the "Pac-Man" duo for their ball-winning — that continued through the Apertura '91 title. Sold to Yokohama Marinos in Japan in 1993, where he played alongside fellow Argentines Medina Bello and Bisconti until 1997, when he returned to Argentina to sign for San Lorenzo for the Clausura '97 tournament. Started the tournament well playing as a left-sided midfielder, tasked with winning back possession in an attack-minded San Lorenzo midfield, but his form dipped once Castelli moved him to the right flank. 14 matches, no goals, in Clausura '97.
| Season | Club | Division | Matches | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| '86/87 | River Plate | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| '87/88 | Temperley | Nacional B | — | — |
| '88/89 | River Plate | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| T. Clas. '89 | River Plate | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| '89/90 | River Plate | 1 | 20 | 1 |
| '90/91 | River Plate | 1 | — | — |
| Ap. '91 | River Plate | 1 | — | — |
| Cl. '92 | River Plate | 1 | — | — |
| Ap. '92 | River Plate | 1 | — | — |
| Cl. '93 | River Plate | 1 | — | — |
| '93/97 | Yokohama Marinos (JAP) | 1 | — | — |
| Cl. '97 | San Lorenzo | 1 | 14 | 0 |
14 appearances, no goals, in Clausura '97, his first season back in Argentina after four years in Japan.
PC Fútbol — Base de Datos Apertura 97, (C) 1997 Dinamic Multimedia. Uploaded by Jim Totime, 30 August 2026. Cross-reference against a modern source (Transfermarkt / RSSSF) recommended before this is used for anything client-facing — this stub has not been independently verified against a second source.