While a lot of kids in Argentina grow up with posters of Lionel Messi plastered on their walls, a soccer ball as their constant companion and dreams of playing under the dazzling lights just as Diego Maradona did for Argentina’s national soccer team, Creighton midfielder Lucio Berron was one kid who didn’t imagine himself on the pitch. 

Born and raised in Santa Fe, Argentina, where soccer dreams were almost as ubiquitous as the city’s street art, young Berron didn’t initially feel the allure of his country’s most prized sport. Many of his earlier years were spent with soccer as nothing more than a hobby, a commonplace activity for before and after school with his friends. 

Instead, Berron’s early inspiration came from art, a passion nurtured by his parents, Karina Budassi and Juan Berron. 

“My mom and my dad are art history… and art professors, so growing up I was always drawn to learning about beautiful stuff,” Berron said. “I just liked it; I felt attracted to it in a way, and I felt a sense of familiarity with it. That’s why I chose [to major in] art history.” 

Despite his continued love for art, soccer remained an undeniable force in his life, shaped by Argentina’s deep cultural ties to the sport and its national players. 

As Berron reflected, “You don’t have much of a chance [to choose a sport] when you grow up, it’s like soccer or soccer… It’s soccer everywhere. Now, you know, we won the world cup two years ago, so it’s all Messi, it’s Maradona…The greatest figures in Argentina are not presidents or actors– they’re soccer players.”  

At age 18, Berron’s relationship with soccer evolved from a casual pastime with friends to a serious pursuit. Less than a year after committing to the sport, possibilities for his future pushed Berron to leave his home for Coastal Carolina, where he could both pursue soccer and study art history—an option that wasn’t available to him in Argentina. 

“I was privileged back home… I could learn some English,” the senior said. “I went to a school where they [taught] me English and… I got told that here, in the United States, you can get a scholarship where you can go to school while playing soccer…in Argentina, you don’t have that possibility. It’s either [you play] soccer or you go to school.” 

Thus, 4,671 miles from home, Berron began his United States soccer career by playing center back at Coastal Carolina. There he earned 19 starts, played 1,767 minutes and posted one goal and two assists over his two-year stretch with the Chanticleers.   

But after spending two seasons on the East Coast, the Argentina native once again decided to uproot in 2023, trading in the bronze, black and teal of Coastal Carolina for the white and the blue.

“I wanted something better. I was too comfortable in Coastal,” Berron said. “I wasn’t challenged so much, and I want[ed] a new challenge. I wanted to go to a place where it’s more difficult, of course, but I also feel Creighton is more prestigious, and I like[d] the idea for me.” 

And what better challenge than joining a team that made a College Cup Final Four appearance just a few months before? Coming into Creighton’s high-speed, high-aggression program in the spring of 2023, Berron’s work ethic and commitment to every play earned him a spot in 13 matches over his junior year season, with seven starts.  

Since joining the Bluejays, the Argentina native has fit right into head coach Johnny Torres’ style of play, becoming a large part of the game plan and success of the team. 

“He [Berron] enjoys it when our team has possession of the ball, and if we don’t have possession of the ball, he’s gonna go out there and win the ball back,” Torres said. “To be able to see one of our senior students do that… gets everybody else jazzed up… he’s a delight to watch, and he’s a heartbeat of our team.” 

Berron’s commitment to giving his all goes beyond just his physical presence on the field; he pours his heart into every moment. This maximum effort mentality is central to his philosophy, as the Argentina native said he consistently strives to control what he can and push himself to succeed.  

“Everything that I can control I do to the max, to the 100% or 120%, and then if the outcome is not the one that I wanted… [I know] I took care of all the stuff that I had to in order to get the best result,” the senior said. “There will always be a better team– a better player– and as a soccer player, you have to live with that…and then the results will come.” 

Berron’s emphasis on unwavering effort stems from advice given by one of his coaches, who stressed the importance of the “next play.” This piece of wisdom has helped shape his approach to the game. 

“There was a coach back home that used to ask me, ‘What’s the most important play?’… he used to tell me, ‘The next play. The next play’s the most important.’ It’s kind of fun to think like that, because what happened is the past– now, you’ve got to keep working. You miss a pass, you miss a goal, whatever; you’ve got to think of the next one. You’ve got to repress. You’ve got to win the ball back and try to keep going.” 

While Berron saw his coach’s advice put into practice– helping him transition into the Bluejays’ unique soccer philosophy— the ongoing support of his teammates, coaches and the Creighton community has been a constant source of strength, long after his initial transition. 

“The community is there for the player, and when you’re so far from home, so far from the family and the people you know, it’s good to have people who actually care about you and want you to do better,” the Argentina native said. 

Berron’s journey has taken him across different countries and campuses. In that time, he’s found that home isn’t tied to a specific place: it’s the people, from his family in Argentina to his friends at Coastal Carolina and Creighton, who made all the difference. 

“I don’t think I will ever find [belonging] in a place, because my place is my house back home with my family… but I will say you find people in different parts of the country [and] of the world,” Berron said. “When I was back at Coastal, I met so many great people. I met my girlfriend… [and] she’s like home to me. I also met Francisco [Farabello] here… [for me] it’s just the people you meet.” 

As the senior gears up for the last moments of his college and Creighton career, the future holds promising possibilities. Berron said that while soccer will remain at the forefront of his dreams, he can’t control the outcome and envisions a future where his experiences in the United States enrich his aspirations to teach and coach. These dreams will bring him across the country before he ultimately returns back home, the place where it all began.