- Date of Birth: 30/08/2003
- Age: 22
- Nationality: 🇺🇾 Uruguay
- Preferred Position: CB
- Alternative Positions: CM, CDM
- Club: Querétaro FC
- Height: 185 cm
- Contract Until: 31/12/2027
First week of this 30-day project covered (yaaay!), and considering that 5 out of the 6 players covered so far are currently playing in Spain, it feels like the right moment for a change.
Today, we’ll be looking at an underrated market when it comes to finding quality players: Liga MX, Mexico’s first division. Over the past few years, the competition has received plenty of criticism—low intensity, the absence of relegation, and doubts about overall competitiveness. That context has led many clubs to overlook players who, if signed early and given the right environment, could truly shine.
Today’s case is one of those players. And even though he has already played in La Liga Hypermotion (not currently, but there had to be some connection—otherwise this would lose its essence 😉), he still fits perfectly into this idea.
We’re talking about Santiago Homenchenko, a Uruguayan center back who can also operate as a defensive midfielder, and even as a more traditional central midfielder—perhaps in a more defensive role, but capable of playing as an interior in a classic 4-3-3.
This might sound familiar, and in fact the first player covered, Yussif Saidu, had that same characteristics, a CB who could play as a midfielder (and originally was one in this case). Soo… feel free to check out that player review too 😉
A traditional South American defender… You know the deal
To contextualize, in recent years, despite playing some significant minutes, Homenchenko has never really been given a true starter role. He was signed by Pachuca in January 2024 and loaned to Real Oviedo, where his spell was, at best, forgettable. He played a bit and showed some positive signs, much like he did during Mirandés’ impressive season last year, but he never had the continuity or confidence needed to truly prove his worth.
That has completely changed with his loan move to Querétaro CF. This spell has been game-changing for him. He has become untouchable for the manager and has been trusted in almost every position required: as a center back in both a back four and a back five, as a holding midfielder, and even higher up the pitch in a 4-1-4-1 system.
So, why has he been so important for Querétaro this season?
Well, Homenchenko is a Uruguayan defender, and everything that usually comes to mind with that profile is exactly how he performs on the pitch. He is quick to recover his position, a nightmare for attackers in 1v1 situations, and strong and confident in duels. Defensively, he is a rock—hard to bypass, uncomfortable to play against, and always fully committed.
His strength and forcefulness intimidate attackers on loose balls, and he has an excellent timing when tackling to get the ball back without committing fouls. On the air, he is a beast, winning 58% of his duels, but what’s more amazing is he wins a shocking 72% of his ground duels, something unbelievable.
And the defensive side of his game is just the tip of the iceberg. Much like Valverde—although Homenchenko is clearly less specialized in this area—he poses a real threat from long-range shots. He also has the timing and positional awareness to arrive into the box at the right moment, which allows him to contribute with a surprisingly solid offensive output. This season alone, he already has 4 goals, including a shocking goal from his own field catching the keeper out of position.
He also covers the left back a lot, allowing him to attack with more freedom while having his back, as seen on the heatmap.
Plot facilitated by Sofascore.
Homenchenko’s shcoking goal from his own field.
A nightmare… for both teams?
Don’t get me wrong with that title—Homenchenko is clearly not a nightmare for his own team… but he does still struggle in some areas of the game.
For a center back who has also played as a midfielder, one might expect him to be a solid ball carrier, which he isn’t; a good passer, which he is improving at but still isn’t; or at least a player with the composure to carry the ball forward under pressure. Unfortunately, he doesn’t fully check any of those boxes yet.
Homenchenko struggles when being pressed from behind, and because of that, he tends to be less involved in progressing the ball or moving play up the pitch. He is a good long passer—something the data supports—but he simply has too few touches and attempted passes to be considered a reliable option in build-up play.
Another, smaller setback—though one that should be easier to fix—is his aggressiveness and intuition. At times, they work against him. Stepping out too early to press or going for a risky duel can backfire, and when he loses it, the opposing team is often left with a lot of space to attack behind him.
These flaws don’t cancel out his strengths—but they do explain why his profile is still very specific, and why the context around him matters so much.
With that said, a big part of his game that is not seen in the data is his leadership and strong personality, that spreads in the dressing room. Not only has he improved at Querétaro FC, but the rest of the team, especially the defensive players, have too.
Summary
Strengths:
- Defensive Actions
- Duel Winner
- Strong and physical
- 1v1 nightmare
- Leadership and confidence
Weaknessess:
- Ball distribution
- Ball progression and carrying
- Aggressiveness gets him caught out of position sometimes
Player Comparison and Future Expectations
The radar plot confirms what the eye test already shows. Homenchenko stands out as a duel winner, with strong involvement in defensive actions and a surprisingly high goal-scoring output for a defender.
His passing and overall involvement in build-up are more limited, though not poor. In fact, his numbers in accurate long balls suggest that, while he isn’t heavily involved in possession, he can still be effective when asked to play direct.
Lastly, let’s talk about Homenchenko’s future. His previous loan spells in Europe weren’t as successful as expected, but after the improvements he’s shown recently, it feels like the right moment for him to prove he’s ready for that challenge and make his return.
Spain still seems like the ideal destination, although I could also see a cheeky move to the Eredivisie—hopefully Ajax—where his qualities could be a very good fit.
If he does end up in Spain, Getafe CF and Alavés both look like logical options, as they already rely on defender profiles similar to his. A return to Real Oviedo also seems plausible, especially considering that Pachuca and Oviedo share the same ownership.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds.
As a prediction for his carreer:
Best-Case Scenario
Ronald Araujo — Now laughed at, he was once the most dominant center back in Europe, moved to the left back to handle Vinicius by himself and succeeding in most games. He shares a lot of similarities, strong and fast, lacks passing abilities, a leader with sharp mentality… That’s all Araujo used to be and that’s all Homenchencko can aspire to.
Expected Outcome
Acerbi — A defensive rock, in my view he didn’t reach Araujo’s prime due to his lack of speed, which he made up with elite positioning. Great intuition in the box, strong, duel winner and a leader once again.
Worst-Case Scenario
Dan Burn — Great duel winner, strong center back with a surprising pace for his height. Lacks the tecnhical ability but makes it up with effort, pressing and being agressive.
See all our Scouted Players clicking here.