In recent hours, the future of Juan Fernando Quintero at River has been shrouded in uncertainty. Following the harsh defeat against Belgrano in the final of the 2026 Apertura Tournament, rumors are growing that the Colombian will leave the club in the next transfer market and continue his career abroad.
Although there has not yet been an official announcement, in Núñez they are already assuming that the cycle of the Colombian playmaker may be coming to an end. Moreover, from the journalistic environment that follows the club's current affairs, it is claimed that the match played at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium may have been his last game in the Millonario jersey.
"Juanfer played his last match at River last Sunday against Belgrano de Córdoba", stated journalist Gustavo Yarroch on ESPN regarding the situation of the 33-year-old midfielder, who only played a few minutes in the defeat against the Pirata.
The possible departure of the Colombian is linked to several factors. On one hand, the new football structure led by Eduardo Coudet, where Quintero has never managed to become an undisputed starter nor has he settled definitively in this new cycle, despite some moments of quality and decisive appearances, such as the equalizer against San Lorenzo in the round of 16 of the Apertura.
This situation is compounded by the club's need to reduce costs and renew part of the squad after an irregular semester and the physical problems that have plagued the player for much of this period, preventing him from maintaining continuity.
As for his future outside the Millonario, according to Yarroch himself, Quintero already has two proposals on the table from teams in Major League Soccer in the United States and is considering continuing his career there once the 2026 World Cup is over, a tournament he will participate in with the Colombian national team and which he will join in the coming days, not being present for the final group stage match of the Copa Sudamericana against Blooming to preserve his physical condition.
Even with a contract in effect until December 2027, everything indicates that the coming weeks will be decisive in determining the future of one of the most talented and beloved players by Millonario fans in recent years.
Quintero's numbers in his three stints at River
In his three periods with the Millonario (2018-2020, 2022, and 2025 to the present), the Medellín native has played 6,571 minutes, distributed over 137 matches, in which he scored 24 goals, provided 22 assists, and received 5 yellow cards and one red card. In terms of titles, he won 3: Supercopa Argentina 2017, Copa Libertadores 2018, and Copa Argentina 2019.
