Juan Sebastián Verón

Estudiantes

In 1993, Verón signed for Estudiantes de La Plata and in 1995 helped the team to return to the Argentine Primera División. In 1996, he joined Boca Juniors, playing 17 games and scoring four goals, alongside Diego Maradona. He made his international debut for Argentina against Poland in the same year. Sven-Göran Eriksson signed him for Sampdoria shortly afterwards.

Italian triumphs and passport controversy

In 1998, after playing for Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, he signed for Parma for £15 million. Under Alberto Malesani, Verón operated as the advanced playmaker in a 3–4–1–2 formation behind the strike partnership of Enrico Chiesa and Hernán Crespo, with the freedom to roam across the attacking midfield line. He earned praise in the media for his creativity and influence on the side, with the team's play revolving around his flair. Parma went on to win the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup, with Verón playing an important role in both successes. Despite his success in the advanced role, reports at the time of his departure noted that Verón preferred to operate as an outright midfielder rather than remain in the position behind the strikers favoured by Malesani. Sven-Göran Eriksson then signed him again, this time for Lazio in an £18.1 million deal, with Verón reportedly netting a weekly wage of £48,000. At Lazio, Eriksson used Verón in a fluid playmaking role that often saw him operate from deeper midfield positions, orchestrating the team's…

Verón was called up for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, where Argentina was eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals following a 2–1 defeat; during the match, Verón set-up Claudio López's goal. A rumour (never confirmed) that Verón had failed an internal doping test, and allegations of laziness hampered his relationship with the media and fans. He was called up again for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea/Japan, where Verón was regarded as a key player and captained the side in place of the injured Roberto Ayala. Some fans held him personally responsible for Argentina's dismal performance, which included a loss to England and elimination in the group phase. After then-national coach José Pekerman omitted him from the 2006 World Cup squad, his replacement, Alfio Basile recalled Verón to the national squad in February 2007, based on his performance in Estudiantes's 2006 championship team. Verón was a starter in the Argentine team that reached the final of 2007 Copa América. Due to injuries and Estudiantes's busy schedule, Verón did not feature in the immediate plans of national coach Diego Maradona, but was recalled to the Argentine squad as a second-half substitute in the 4–0 win over Venezuela on 28 March 2009, Maradona's first competitive game in charge of the national team. He also played in the starting XI in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Colombia on 6 June 2009 and was selected by manager Diego Maradona in the final 23-man squad for the finals of…

In December 2012, Verón returned to Estudiantes to work as Director of Sports of the institution. In a press conference, club president Enrique Lombardi stated that Verón would not receive any remuneration for his work at the club.

President of Estudiantes de La Plata

In October 2014, five months after retiring, he was elected president of Estudiantes de La Plata with 75% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2017 for a second three-year term. His presidency oversaw key institutional milestones, including the inauguration of the club's new stadium, Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi. After serving as vice-president during the club's 2023 Copa Argentina triumph, he was once again elected president in April 2024. One month into his new term, Estudiantes won the Copa de la Liga Profesional. In November 2025, following a disputed "guard of honour" incident involving newly crowned champions Rosario Central, he was suspended for six months from all official duties by the Argentine Football Association.

Verón is the eldest son of Argentina striker Juan Ramón Verón, who scored against Manchester United for Estudiantes at Old Trafford in the 1968 Intercontinental Cup. He was born the day his father played a derby for Estudiantes against cross-town rivals Gimnasia y Esgrima. As a boy, Verón dreamed of playing for English club Sheffield United, as his uncle, Pedro Verde, played for the club at the time. When his son started to play professionally, his father tried to persuade one of his former clubs, Panathinaikos, to sign him. However, after a short trial with them, they finally decided that he was not good enough for their team. After his transfer to Manchester United, Verón said, "So there I was hoping to play for Sheffield United and here I am at Manchester United!" His son, Deian, is a professional footballer. His brother, Iani, also played football.