- The 22-year-old defender has joined O’Higgins on loan for their CONMEBOL Sudamericana campaign.
- Born in Río Gallegos and a naturalised Chilean citizen, he played at the 2023 South American U-20 Championship for Chile before representing Argentina at the FIFA U-20 World Cup later that year.
Some debuts seem as though they were written by a screenwriter. Tomás Avilés arrived in Rancagua a few days ago as O’Higgins’ first signing for the second half of the season, and his CONMEBOL Sudamericana debut could come against none other than Boca Juniors at La Bombonera.
For the 22-year-old defender, it would be another chapter in a career that has already taken him across three countries and seen him share a dressing room with Lionel Messi.
“I am very happy. I know what this institution represents and I have come here to contribute to the group. I know the club has won trophies and competes for everything. I saw it as a great opportunity,” the centre-back said when he was unveiled in the club’s sky-blue shirt.
From Patagonia to the world
Avilés’ story began far from football’s major centres. He was born in Río Gallegos, in the far south of Argentina, first kicked a ball at the age of four and was already playing for his hometown club, Atlético Boxing Club, by the time he was seven. Winning the 2018 Juegos Nacionales Evita was the first milestone of his career.
At 16, a trial in Buenos Aires changed his life. He earned a place in Racing’s academy and eventually reached the first team. “I spent six months at Racing with Fernando Gago. Then the opportunity came to join Inter and play with Leo — Messi. It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he recalled.
In August 2023, Inter Miami paid a multimillion-dollar fee for his services, and the Patagonian centre-back became a team-mate of the best player in the world. He made 87 appearances, scored four goals and featured at the FIFA Club World Cup with the Florida franchise. “I learned a lot from Leo,” he said.
Avilés spent the first half of 2026 on loan at CF Montréal, a brief spell he described candidly: “It did not go very well, but it helped me gain experience.”
A tale of two shirts
His passport tells another remarkable story. Argentinian by birth and a naturalised Chilean citizen, Avilés experienced a unique year in 2023: he played at the South American U-20 Championship for Chile and, months later, represented Javier Mascherano’s Argentina at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
That spell with Chile’s youth side also created the connection that has now brought him to Chilean football. “I already knew about the club through the players I shared the national team with. They spoke very highly of it,” he said after arriving in Rancagua.
The team welcoming him are enjoying the best continental campaign in their history. O’Higgins finished second in Group C, behind only São Paulo, after a solid run: they remained unbeaten and did not concede at home, completed a double over Millonarios and were driven by the attacking partnership between Francisco González — the leading assist provider in the group stage — and key figure Arnaldo Castillo.
The Rancagua side pulled off a major upset on the final matchday to secure second place, beating the Colombian club 2-1 away from home.
Tonight’s encounter has all the ingredients for a memorable occasion. Lucas Bovaglio’s side will visit Boca at 9.30pm Argentina time in the first leg of the Round of 16 play-offs, with the return fixture scheduled for Thursday 30 July in Rancagua.
Should he take to the pitch, Avilés will have gone in the space of just a few months from wearing Inter Miami’s colours alongside Messi to stepping out at La Bombonera in O’Higgins’ sky-blue shirt.
