Leonel Realpe is a 15-year-old right-back who plays for Independiente del Valle. The Ecuadorian U-15 youth international has played a full season for Independiente del Valle U-15. He also featured at the Next Generation Trophy. I wrote a summary of his performance in Austria on the Target Scouting website, as he was one of the standout performers. I watched him in the domestic league a couple of times after.
Standing at around 1.64m – 1.69m with an average build, Leonel Realpe is a relatively small right-back. However, Realpe has an excellent burst of speed and also displays good speed over long distances. The young Ecuadorian is incredibly athletic and has a low centre of gravity, allowing him to change directions very quickly. He is also very agile and displays good footwork. He has good stamina as he keeps running up and down the pitch for 90 minutes long.
The right-back of Independiente del Valle U-15 likes to take up an inverted position in first-phase possession, aiming to create space for the technically gifted Quintero brothers to receive the ball in space close to the touchline. Leonel Realpe also creates plenty of space for others in the final third by making under- and overlapping runs, stretching the opponent’s defence. Realpe has poor crossing ability but his cut-backs are decent. If he does receive the ball in first-phase possession, Realpe seemingly understands where his teammates and opponents are, taking a progressive touch when possible and carrying the ball forward aggressively. Realpe opts to play a first-time backwards pass when there is no space. The right-back is a great ball-carrier and dribbler, being very efficient in attacking 1v1s due to his very good burst, close control and changes of directions. He avoids challenges well. Realpe likes to play one-two’s to progress play in other situations. He has a very good short and long passing technique, also occasionally spotting the attacker’s runs in behind and delivering a good through pass.
Leonel Realpe is a very aggressive defender, defending like a pitbull and always wanting to intercept the ball as quickly as possible. The positive side to this is that he can regain possession quickly using his decent tackling ability and aggressiveness. The downside is that he can be quite rash, stepping up when he needs to stay in the line and going in for a slide tackle when he needs to stay on his feet. Realpe’s timing is average at times, too. He is very assertive in 50/50 duels.
My expectation for 2024 is that Leonel Realpe becomes a regular starter for Independiente del Valle U-17. Realpe will become a good wing-back in South America but I doubt he could become an interesting player for European teams. He needs to be more composed defensively and improve his attacking output in the final third. Realpe has the potential to reach Independiente del Valle’s first team in 3-4 years and he could make a transfer to a Brazilian Serie A in the future.