Is Claudio Echeverri the next Messi? Let's not get ahead of ourselves; for starters, Echeverri is right-footed. But the 18-year-old's future is promising.
The Argentine starlet signed for Manchester City on Tuesday morning for a $15.6 million transfer fee. He'll join his City teammates for the second half of the 2024/25 season after the club decided he'd remain on loan to River Plate until December 2024. Echeverri's City contract expires in 2028, with the possibility of receiving $9.72 in performance bonuses.
The attacking midfielder follows in the footsteps of Julian Alvarez, who took a similar developmental route from River Plate to Manchester City. Echeverri also becomes City's fourth-ever Argentinian star, behind Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, and Alvarez, respectively.
There's also the possibility that Echeverri may head to La Liga title contenders Girona, also owned by Manchester City and run by Pep's brother.
How good is Claudio Echeverri?
Echeverri broke onto the international scene with a remarkable hat trick against Brazil in the U-17 World Cup. Messi is the last player to score a hat trick for Argentina vs. Brazil.
Like Messi, Echeverri will also get his shot at earning a gold medal at this summer's Olympic games in Paris. U23 boss Javier Mascherano, who also won two gold medals as an Argentine player, called Echeverri to join the squad. The player already trained once with the senior team, making a significant impression on Albiceleste veteran Angel Di Maria.
“It was something exceptional and it was not a normal call, Echeverri knows our thinking and he has the projection to be in the senior national team. We want him to adapt,” said Mascherano, who'll lead the youngsters in Paris.
The sky is the limit for Echeverri, who's modeled his dribbling and passing game after famous Argentines Messi and Pablo Aimar. As Echeverría's journey unfolds, let's see if he can continue Argentine greatness and kick it off with a gold medal this summer.
Photo: Instagram/mancity + claudioecheverri_
