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Rumors! Everybody’s favorite thing, as you might expect, is rumor-mongering, and let’s be perfectly honest about this: We’re no exception over here at RSL Soapbox, and we are proud to monger this particular rumor.
A Chilean outlet from Quillota, Nexo Deportes, is reporting that Pablo Ruiz, a 19-year-old winger from Argentina, has told them that he’s signing for Real Salt Lake from Chilean side San Luis de Quillota.
En conversación con Nexo Deportes Pablo Ruiz nos indica que emiga a la MLS al Real Salt Lake FC.
— Nexo-Libra Deportes (@NEXO_deportes) January 27, 2018
UPDATE: Maddie Lee of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that an anonymous source confirmed the move.
I can confirm that RSL is close to adding 19-year-old Argentinian midfielder Pablo Ruiz to its roster. The final paperwork just has to be processed, according to a league source. https://t.co/mDiyN5xddI
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) January 30, 2018
To add fuel to the fire, Ruiz’s Transfermarkt profile shows him as having signed for Real Salt Lake on Jan. 27 — three days ago. Very interesting, isn’t it?
A good, juicy rumor is surpassed by hardly anything these days, even when we’re talking about a 19-year-old that doesn’t have much experience.
Ruiz has been playing with San Luis since July, having joined them from Argentine club San Lorenzo’s U-20 team. He’s also played with Argentina’s U-17 team, appearing at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Very interesting, really.
All told, we’re dealing with a true grey area in South American soccer — we don’t know, at this point, much about Ruiz. And maybe that’s fine, because wouldn’t you know it, there are highlights to keep us filled in, complete with obnoxious music, because why not? These are over two years old, so don’t take too much from them.