Marcelo Weigandt Bio
Marcelo Alexis ‘Chelo’ Weigandt (born 11 January 2000) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a right-back. He is best known for coming through the youth system of Boca Juniors and representing Argentina at several youth international tournaments. Standing 1.75 m tall, Weigandt has spent the majority of his senior career associated with Boca Juniors, with loan spells at Gimnasia y Esgrima and, more recently, Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. His combination of defensive reliability and willingness to push forward has made him a useful squad option at every stop.
Early Life and Background
Marcelo Alexis Weigandt was born on 11 January 2000 in Avellaneda, Argentina, a city in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area long associated with Argentine football. Like many boys from the region, he grew up surrounded by the game and joined a local youth side, Club Villa Ideal, as a child. The early move gave him his first taste of organized football and helped shape the competitive habits that would later define his career.
In 2007, at the age of seven, Weigandt was signed into the youth ranks of Boca Juniors, one of the country’s most decorated clubs. The Boca academy has historically produced a long line of Argentine internationals, and the young defender spent more than a decade working his way through its age-group teams. The environment, built around high expectations and frequent contact with the first team, formed the backbone of his professional education.
Path to Professional Football
As a teenager at Boca Juniors, Weigandt played across the club’s lower divisions, refining his game as a right-back with a strong emphasis on positional discipline. He was capped by Argentina at youth level during this developmental phase, representing the country at the 2015 South American U-15 Championship in Colombia, where the team won the bronze medal. He later featured at the 2017 South American U-17 Championship in Chile, appearing in group-stage matches against Venezuela and Paraguay.
These international experiences, combined with his steady progress at the Boca academy, prepared him for the step up to senior football. By the close of the 2017–18 campaign, the defender had done enough in reserve matches to convince the Boca coaching staff that he was ready for first-team duties. His persistence through more than ten years in the youth system set the stage for his eventual debut.
Marcelo Weigandt Career
Early Career (2018–2019)
Weigandt’s senior breakthrough came during the 2018–19 Primera División campaign under then-manager Gustavo Alfaro. Although he was initially an unused substitute in matches involving loaned-out players to Gimnasia y Esgrima and Newell’s Old Boys, his chance eventually arrived in the Copa Argentina on 19 April 2019. Facing Torneo Federal A side Estudiantes, the young defender played the full ninety minutes of a 2–0 victory, marking his official senior debut for Boca Juniors.
Later that month, Weigandt featured again in the Copa de la Superliga against Godoy Cruz, helping Boca win the round-of-sixteen first leg away from home. Across the remainder of the season he added roughly ten more appearances, including five in the prestigious Copa Libertadores, showing that he could handle pressure at the highest level of South American club football.
Gimnasia y Esgrima Loan (2020–2021)
Seeking regular first-team minutes, Weigandt was loaned out for the 2020–21 season to fellow Primera División side Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata. The move was designed to give him consistent playing time in Argentina’s top flight, away from the crowded depth chart at Boca Juniors. He featured regularly for Gimnasia during the campaign, gaining valuable experience in both league and cup competitions.
The spell helped him sharpen the defensive and tactical elements of his game that had been more difficult to refine in short cameo appearances. On his return to Boca, Weigandt was viewed internally as a more complete defender, ready to compete for a larger role in the senior squad.
Boca Juniors Return and Inter Miami Era (2022–Present)
Back at Boca Juniors, Weigandt slotted into the right-back rotation and continued to accumulate domestic appearances. His shirt number 23 reflected his place in the squad as a reliable deputy who could step in when required. During this period he also received a senior call-up from the Argentina U-20 side in March 2019 and was later named in Fernando Batista’s squad for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, where he featured against Portugal and South Korea before Argentina were eliminated at the round of sixteen.
In March 2024, Marcelo Weigandt joined Major League Soccer club Inter Miami on loan for the duration of the 2024 season, with an option to extend for another season if he played at least ten matches for the team. The move linked him to one of the most high-profile clubs in North America and provided a new platform to showcase his abilities on an international stage.
Driving Style and Strengths
Although he plays football rather than motorsport, Weigandt’s approach on the pitch mirrors the discipline of a well-drilled defender. He is comfortable tracking back, strong in one-on-one duels, and willing to overlap on the right flank when his team needs width. Coaches have praised his reading of the game and his composure under pressure, traits developed over more than a decade inside the Boca Juniors academy system.
Notable Events and Milestones
Weigandt’s senior debut in the Copa Argentina in April 2019 stands as one of the defining early moments of his career. He has also represented Argentina at three separate youth World Championship tournaments, including a bronze medal at the 2015 South American U-15 event. His loan switch to Inter Miami in 2024 added a Major League Soccer chapter to a CV built almost entirely in Argentine football.
Marcelo Weigandt Career Wins
Across his senior career, Marcelo Weigandt has primarily been a squad contributor rather than a headline-winning protagonist. His honours list includes recognition from Boca Juniors and Inter Miami for his contributions during spells with each club. The most clearly verified honour from his youth career is the bronze medal won with Argentina at the 2015 South American U-15 Championship in Colombia.
Club Highlights
At Boca Juniors, Weigandt was part of competitive squads in the Primera División, Copa Libertadores, Copa Argentina, and Copa de la Superliga. His first senior win came on debut in the Copa Argentina against Estudiantes in April 2019, followed quickly by a Copa de la Superliga round-of-sixteen first-leg victory over Godoy Cruz. His loan at Gimnasia y Esgrima added further league experience between 2020 and 2021.
International Highlights
For Argentina, Weigandt represented the country at U-15, U-17, and U-20 levels. The bronze medal at the 2015 South American U-15 Championship in Colombia remains his most clearly verified piece of international silverware. Participation at the 2017 South American U-17 Championship in Chile and the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland rounded out a busy stretch of youth duty.
Marcelo Weigandt Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Publicly verified details about Weigandt’s immediate family are limited. He grew up in Avellaneda, a city steeped in Argentine football tradition, and joined local youth side Club Villa Ideal before moving on to Boca Juniors in 2007. Beyond these early footballing roots, no further verified family background is publicly documented.
Personal Life
Marcelo Weigandt keeps his personal life largely out of the public eye. There is no widely confirmed information regarding a spouse, partner, or children in the sources reviewed. He is known professionally by the nickname ‘Chelo’, a common Argentine diminutive derived from his given name Marcelo.
2025 Season Performance
Looking ahead to the 2025 season, Marcelo Weigandt’s immediate future depends on whether his loan at Inter Miami is extended beyond its initial one-year framework. Reports tied to the original deal suggested the loan could be extended for another season if he reached a playing-time threshold during the 2024 campaign, which would shape his role in the Major League Soccer schedule through 2025.
If he remains at Inter Miami, Weigandt is expected to compete for minutes at right-back behind the club’s established starters, contributing in domestic league play and cup fixtures. Should he instead return to Boca Juniors, he would re-enter the rotation that helped launch his career and look to expand his role under the Argentine Primera División setup.
Either path offers him a chance to add new appearances and milestones to a résumé that already includes senior debuts in two South American cup competitions, a Copa Libertadores run, and three youth international tournaments. For a player who only turned professional in 2018, the 2025 season represents another important opportunity to consolidate his standing at club level.