8 months ago
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Manchester City might have done it again.
The Premier League side have pulled off the signing of Argentine wonder kid Claudio Echeverri from River Plate, securing one of the World Champion country’s brightest prospects until 2028.
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Seen holding the Sky Blue shirt, City fans won’t get to see the 18-year-old suit up for them anytime soon, with him staying at River until the end of the season, and then likely heading to LaLiga title challengers Girona.
However, if they do want to keep an eye on their latest talent from the South American country, it looks like they will be able to tune in at the Paris Olympics, despite an almighty tussle.
Echeverri made sure he was on the list of every scout in the world with a hat-trick against Brazil at the U17 World Cup, but Europe’s grandest sides weren’t the only ones to take note.
Argentina U23 manager Javier Mascherano was also quick to register the nation’s new most exciting prospect, and made the bold choice of trying to bring him up a whole five age groups.
"The first thing we did was get the leaders to speak,” Mascherano explained. “Claudio Tapia [Argentina FA president] contacted the president of River to find out if there was such a possibility.
“It was something exceptional and it was not a normal call, he [Echeverri] knows our thinking and he has the projection to be in the senior national team. We want him to adapt."
Mascherano will be leading his U23s at the Olympics, and he’s doing everything in his power to add another gold medal to the two he earned as a player.
Within that, his three over-age call-ups could be of the highest repute, with the former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder trying to add Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria to his incredible pool of talent.
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Both of those World Cup-winning legends have already played an important role in Echeverri’s rise, with Di Maria publicly praising him after a recent training session with the Argentina senior team.
“He looked sharp, we definitely watched him. He has a lot to give,” the Benfica winger said.
Messi meanwhile, is understandably Echeverri’s hero, but the pair also share a surprise favourite-ever player to watch - Pablo Aimar.
“I always said that my idol was Messi, but I’m nowhere near Messi,” Echeverri told FIFA.
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“I also really liked Pablo Aimar, who’s part of the national-team staff, and he’s spoken to me many times.
“He’s a great person, and he gives me useful pointers about what I need to correct in my game. I’d probably say ‘Pablito’, then – he was a talented player and loved to take on defenders like me.
“As well as River, I would like to play for Barca. I’m a big fan of Messi and I used to watch him play for Barcelona, so I’ve had this team inside me since I was very young."
Instead of Barca, it will be City who Echeverri stars for, and he joins a long list of incredible Argentines to do so.
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Sergio Aguero is the Manchester side’s all-time top scorer, while Julian Alvarez took the same path from River to City, and is now one of the world’s most feared young forwards.
Two other former Argentine City stars have had an even closer look at the prospect too, River’s manager Martin Demichelis, and Independiente’s Carlos Tevez.
“I know other teams have been asking for Claudio Echeverri since the middle of the year and I have always been talking to him about it,” Demichelis said.
“When he came up with us, training was very difficult for him and that's why he went down to play in the reserves. And even every time he went down to play reserves he didn't finish the games and played 60 minutes.
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“After the Under 17 World Cup, Claudio returned prepared, I saw him with the preparation to be in the Primera and that is why he entered the semifinal of the League Cup against Rosario Central and played in the Champions Trophy. Sometimes people rush… We are with the player day by day and we see when he is ready.”
One of those who got to see the impact of Echeverri’s well-crafted preparation was opposition manager Tevez.
“I see a great future for him,” the former striker said. “I was very surprised by the personality he has.
“River's first three situations were his. He has a very clear personality, because it is not easy to have Pity Martinez and De la Cruz in front of you.
“The kid came in and wanted the ball, he asked for it and went forward, he took charge of the game.
“I think he is a very interesting player, a player that is not seen today because the commitment in traditional football is not seen as much anymore.”
