Ariel Borja is a 18-year-old midfielder who plays for Liga de Quito under 19. The young Ecuadorian made his debut for the first team of Liga de Quito in 2022 but has only played for the under 19’s in the 2023 season. He was one of the few players of Liga de Quito U-19 in 2023 who displayed decent to good potential as they missed out on the semi-finals of the U-19 league after ending fifth in the second stage of the season.
The central midfielder stands at around 1.80m – 1.85m and has an average build. He has a good physique, winning most of his duels in midfield. Borja uses his body smartly in physical duels, pushing the opponent off the ball without giving away a foul and putting his body between the ball and the opponent. He has good jumping reach and timing in aerial duels but needs to become a little bit smarter in aerial duels to become more effective in aerial duels. Borja has a good burst of speed and displays good speed over longer distances, too. He has decent changes of directions and is quite agile.
Ariel Borja currently has a slightly inconsistent technique with a lot of potential to become cleaner and more consistent on the ball. The midfielder can be a bit sloppy on the ball, not having a clean first touch or losing the ball in dangerous areas. The ball can sometimes bounce off his feet on his first touch. He can sometimes struggle in tight and congested areas. Borja has decent first-touch passing. He has decent vision, regularly spotting runners in behind and playing a good over-the-top through pass. Borja is capable of switching play too, displaying good long passing technique.
The midfielder is a box-to-box midfielder. He occasionally drops deep to receive the ball in first-phase possession, but can also make runs behind the opponent’s defensive line. Borja recognizes the moments when the opponent’s left- or right-back leaves open a gap as they’re following Liga’s winger. Defensively, he also covers the left-back position when the left-back is out of position, for example. I think Ariel Borja’s ball-carrying could become one of his greatest strengths. He has good acceleration on the ball and seems to step with a lot of power and intent. If his technique becomes a bit more consistent, he could also be a lot cleaner under pressure. I think this is only a matter of time. His ball-striking from distance is also good, also being capable of scoring from free-kicks.
I think Ariel Borja could become an important player for Liga de Quito’s first-team in the future. However, he should not be playing for Liga de Quito U-19 again next season. A (loan) move to a club like Orense SC could be good for Borja. Ariel Borja has the potential to play in the Brazilian Serie A, but it remains to be seen whether he can live up to his potential all things considered.
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