| Name: Ronny Borja | Date of birth: 10/06/2005 |
| Position: CM – DM | Preferred foot: Right |
| Nationality: Ecuadorian | Club: El Nacional |
| Contract until: – | Competition: Liga Pro |
| International: Ecuador U-23 | Agency: – |
Report:
Ronny Borja is an 18-year-old central midfielder who plays for El Nacional in the Ecuadorian Liga Pro. The Ecuadorian came through the youth ranks of El Nacional before making his first-team debut on 26-08-2023 against Cumbayá FC before cementing himself as a regular starter. His performances at El Nacional earned him a place in the national team for the U-23 Pre Olimpico, in which he made three sub appearances. He is now on the verge of joining CS Emelec, according to local newspapers.
Standing at around 1.70m with a strong build, Ronny Borja is slightly small for a central midfielder. He occasionally lacks strength in duels with his back towards the goal. Ronny Borja shifts his body weight under pressure quite quickly, allowing him to turn away from his opponent. He has a decent burst of speed and displays decent speed over longer distances. The midfielder lacks jumping reach and strength to be efficient in aerial duels, although he is combative and sometimes times his jump well. Borja has good stamina and is a real box-to-box midfielder.
The central midfielder occasionally is a bit reckless in defensive duels, giving away free-kicks but battling well in 50/50 duels. Borja tends to get dragged out wide out of possession, losing duels as his body shape is not the best. He also gets surprised by his opponent’s ball manipulation at times. His defensive positioning in transition is also not ideal. He scans quite often but fails to adjust his positioning accordingly, allowing his opponent to break lines. He sometimes allows his opponent too much space between the midfield and defensive line. His defensive decision-making is at an average level. He closes down his opponent quickly but his timing is average and he should sometimes stay in line.
Ronny Borja seems to understand where the space is quite often, turning away from his opponent and finding his teammates under pressure, displaying good composure and decision-making on the ball. He uses both feet for his passing, although he is a bit more clean on the ball with his right foot. His left-footed passing can be sloppy occasionally. He tends to go for short passes, with his long-passing technique being at an average level. His weight of passing is often off as he puts too much power on the ball. Borja displays decent vision but his execution is average.
Ronny Borja likes to play passes into the attack before continuing his run into the final third. He displays good off-the-ball movement in second-phase possession, getting into space between the lines at the right time. Borja has a clean first touch under pressure and has decent close control in tight spaces, although he sporadically loses control over the ball. The Ecuadorian midfielder likes to shoot from distance but his shot locations are average. He often does not strike the ball well and fails to hit the ball with a lot of power and accuracy.
At the age of 18, Ronny Borja has plenty of time to become a better football player. I think he excels in a box-to-box role. He is a dynamic midfielder with good off-the-ball movement, relatively clean short passing and a lot of tenacity defensively. Ronny Borja needs to work on his defensive vision and positioning. He also needs to improve his shot locations and long passing. Once he becomes stronger and gains experience, I think he could become an interesting target for mid-table Belgian clubs.
Target Scouting 