Facundo Zabala Joins Independiente After Completing Medical

Facundo Zabala is officially set to join Independiente after passing his medical exams. The 26-year-old left-back, who recently featured in the Club World Cup with Al-Ain of the UAE, will sign his contract shortly, becoming the sixth reinforcement for manager Julio Vaccari this transfer window.

Independiente paid $2.25 million for 70% of his transfer rights, which belonged to Paraguayan side Olimpia, though Zabala had been playing on loan with Al-Ain. With the departures of Álvaro Angulo to Pumas and Adrián Spörle to Belgrano, the left side of the defense had become a clear weakness. Vaccari had stressed the urgency of signing a full-back, and the club responded—first with Milton Valenzuela, and now with Zabala.

Born in Rosario and a product of Rosario Central, Zabala has played for Alajuelense (Costa Rica), APOEL (Cyprus), Venezia (Italy), Olimpia, and Al-Ain. His most consistent form came in Paraguay, where he made 105 appearances and scored four goals. Before flying to Buenos Aires, he told local media: “Leaving Olimpia wasn’t easy, but it was the right step for my growth as a player and person.”

With Zabala in, Independiente seems to have addressed a major squad need. The club could now be done in the market, pending a final call on Emiliano Rigoni’s possible return. So far, the team has brought in Walter Mazzantti, Leonardo Godoy, Ignacio Pussetto, Lucas Lavagnino, Valenzuela, and Zabala.