In many ways, Club Social y Deportivo Villa del Parque is indistinguishable from any other recreational club in any other neighborhood in Argentina: It’s a place to meet with friends and family, get a bite to eat and, of course, play soccer.

The club’s white façade at Marcos Sastre 3260 faces a large plaza in the residential, working class neighborhood of Villa del Parque. Practice schedules and pictures of Argentine soccer icons hang on the entrance hall walls. The large eating area fits three rows of cafeteria-style tables and in the back a counter is covered by wine bottles, trophies and a hand-written list of the day’s lunch specials – perhaps homemade gnocchi or cannelloni. The sound of laughing echoes from a corner; there are four boisterous older men sharing beers over a game of Truco. They look up at the TV screen every so often to check the score of the Villarreal – Arsenal Champions League semifinal match. A small crowd of parents and children trickles in through the door. Some get a snack before practice while others stop to sit down, greet their friends and watch the game as well. To the left, metal double doors lead to the gym and all along the right wall are 40-some jerseys hanging in glass cases.

The shrine of jerseys represents the past, present and future of Argentine soccer. They are household names in Argentina, and known to soccer fans around the world. Sergio “Checho” Batista and Claudio Borghi – winners of the 1986 World Cup along with national hero number one Diego Maradona. Juan Pablo Sorín, Fernando Redondo, and Esteban Cambiasso – between the three they have won over 15 European titles over the past ten years on a who’s who of elite teams including Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, not to mention over 100 combined international games wearing the Argentine blue and white. Carlitos Tevez, Fabricio Coloccini, and Fernando Gago – the three youngsters who have won two out of three under-20 World Cups and a 2004 Gold Medal in soccer, are quickly rising stars in their own right. The jerseys go on and on.

It is on this wall where comparisons with other neighborhood clubs end. The jerseys were not hung by club members in honor of distant national heroes – they were brought here by the players themselves, because every one of them trained here, many from the age of five.

But there is no fancy equipment. The gym is composed of two reduced-size, cement soccer courts topped by a curved, corrugated metal roof, something reminiscent of an airplane hangar. There are no restrictions and no tryouts. The majority of the kids that play here come from the surrounding area and the staff is largely made of parent volunteers. So, what is it about this place that shapes this particular neighborhood’s youth into some of the most coveted players around the world?

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