The first newcomer of Dynamo in 2025, Juan Caceres, signed a contract until 2029 and has already joined the team at the training camp in the UAE. We tell you in detail about the football path of the right defender of the national team of Paraguay.
Juan Jose Caceres (emphasis on the first syllable) was born into a Paraguayan family on June 1, 2000 in the Buenos Aires suburb of Doc Court, where the legendary right lateral of the Argentina national team and Inter Milan Javier Zanetti comes from.
He received his football education at the Boca Juniors Academy, where he spent eight years, after which he moved to Racing from another suburb of the Argentine capital Avellaneda. There he signed his first professional contract and made his debut in the first team in November 2020.
In 2021, he already played an important role in Racing's defensive formations, making his debut in the Libertadores Cup, where he scored his first goal in his adult career against Uruguayan Rentistas. In total, he played 36 matches, three goals and two assists.
The following season, his progress slowed down a little, and he took part in only nine games, but he became the owner of two national cups – the Champions Trophy and the International Super Cup, won just in the UAE. Moreover, Boca Juniors was defeated both times in the fight for the title. Another good news of 2022 was the receipt by Juan of Paraguayan citizenship, which gave him the right to play for his parents' home country.
Photo from the social media of Lanus
In search of playing time, Caceres went on loan to the neighboring Lanus. There, under the guidance of coach Ricardo Zelinsky, who has the nickname "Russian", his talent began to play with new colors. During the year, Jose played 32 matches, scored one goal and made three assists. But the main highlight of 2023 was the official debut in the national team of Paraguay.
— At first I thought about it, then I dreamed about it, and today I achieved it. I am immensely happy to represent my country. Thank you for the love. Go ahead, Paraguay,– Caceres wrote on his social networks, always emphasizing that he chose to play for Paraguay for the sake of his family.
In total, the 24-year-old defender has played seven matches for Albiroja, in which the Paraguayans conceded only four goals and are now close to making it to the World Cup for the first time since 2010. The most memorable match in Juan's career is undoubtedly the September qualifying meeting with the Brazilian national team, where he brilliantly closed Vinicius Junior himself (winning 9 single combats, making 12 selections and 4 interceptions), and the Paraguayans won 1-0.
Photo from social media of Paraguay national team
It was the first match for Caceres at number 4, which brought him good luck. It's funny that even before all these events, Juan got a tattoo with this number on his right shoulder. Now she will also decorate a Dynamo T-shirt with his name on the back.
At the same time, before the meeting, it was a surprise to many that Paraguayan coach Gustavo Alfaro made a choice in favor of Caceres, since 4 days before the visiting team was able to play Uruguay to zero, and Gustavo Velasquez acted great on the right flank.
— Yes, Velasquez had a great game, but the only one who is comparable in speed to Vini is Caceres. He was the only one who could not give in to him in speed. We don't just take our seats, we analyze everything," Alfaro explained his decision.
In an interview, Juan admitted that his favorite superhero is the Flash. But speed is not the only strength of our newcomer. He is very aggressive in defense, and also knows how and likes to connect to the attack, which is simply necessary for a modern extreme defender. A good dribble, a long and a short pass – all this is in Juan's arsenal.
It is not surprising that Lanus eventually bought the rights to the talented lateral. In just two years in the team, Caceres played 68 matches, scored one goal and gave four assists, received 11 yellow and two red cards. At the same time, he played the last two full matches of the Argentine championship in February, so everything is fine with his physical form.
As a result, Dynamo gets a fast fullback, our captain gets a good friend from the national team, and Dynamo coaches also get an excellent sparring partner in padel, which Caceres loves to play in his spare time.
Welcome to Dynamo, Juan!
