3 River Plate youngsters who could be future Argentina stars | OneFootball

Record champions of Argentina, River Plate, have won the league just once over the past decade but have started to get back on track in recent years, winning the 2018 Copa Libertadores and reaching the final last year.

Their famous youth academy has produced a number of world class players over the years, including Hernan Crespo, Javier Mascherano and Gonzalo Higuain.

River Plate is currently producing another bunch of youngsters who are getting more and more first team opportunities that could help them blossom into stars in the future.

Here are three young players currently in the first team squad that we predict to play regularly for the national team in the future:

Julian Alvarez – Striker

The highest-profile youngster currently at River Plate is 20-year-old forward Julian Alvarez.

With 13 appearances for the Argentinian Under-20s to his name already, much is expected of Alvarez in the future. He made his full debut for the club back in October 2018 and even made a late appearance in the River-Boca Juniors 2018 Copa Libertadores final in Madrid, Spain.

Alvarez is quick and a good finisher which makes him an ideal striker for any team he ends up at. River Plate will certainly be hoping he stays for some time to come though.

Much is thought of the youngster that he is already wearing the number 9 shirt. He even had trials at Spanish giants Real Madrid at a younger age.

Cristian Ferreira – Attacking Midfielder

Another regular in the Argentina Under-20s, Cristian Ferreira has already established himself in the River Plate first-team.

The 20-year-old was originally handed his debut back in October 2017 but handed the chance of regular first team football thanks to the departure of Pity Martinez to Atlanta United in the MLS in 2019.

Ferreira has scored some crucial goals already for the club and has a tasty long-range shot on him. Standing at 5’7” he is a tricky attacking midfielder for defenders to mark with, particularly with his acceleration.

Santiago Sosa – Holding Midfielder

A teammate of the two aforementioned players at both club and Argentina’s Under-20s, Santiago Sosa has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Javier Mascherano in becoming a regular for the senior national team and potentially moving to the English Premier League or Spanish La Liga one day.

Although playing a position often known for strong challenges, Santiago Sosa is actually technically gifted for his position. Despite this, he plays a simple passing game when in possession and reads the game very well, particularly given he only recently turned 21.

English Premier League side Everton pulled out of a transfer for the youngster nearly a year ago after his work permit in the UK was denied. Sosa has since started to play more and more regular first team football in the River Plate first team.

Argentina’s midfield has been weak in recent major tournaments and Santiago Sosa could be the answer to sure it up over the coming years.