Everything you need to know about Manchester City's Claudio Echeverri | OneFootball

Manchester City and Argentina have developed quite the connection, with 13 players from the South American powerhouse donning the light blue over the years - the latest man to join the City/Argentine crossover? River Plate's Claudio Echeverri.

On 25 January 2023, Manchester City officially signed 18-year-old Echeverri until June 2028 . A deal worth around £12.5m plus add-ons. "Everyone at Manchester City is looking forward to welcoming Claudio to the Club and we wish him the best of luck in his remaining time with River," states a press release issued by the Manchester club.

Born in the town of Resistencia, in the province of Chaco in northern Argentina, Echeverri, like almost all his compatriots, was quickly introduced to football. It was a passion shared by his whole family, with his father being a dedicated hincha (supporter) of Independiente. But for the little Echeverri, only the mythical River Plate club seemed to find favour in his eyes. An impassioned Millonarios fan, he owns everything from flags to photos of his idols.

Claudio Echeverri's career at River Plate

Just as he was starting out in football with local club Deportivo Lujan, River scouts spotted him and, at the age of 10 (Echeverri was born on 2 January 2006), allowed him to fulfill his dream of pulling on the legendary white jersey with the red stripe of the Buenos Aires club. Despite a difficult period due to the absence of his mother, whom he managed to move to the Argentinian capital thanks to his academy director who found her a suitable flat, Echeverri enjoyed a meteoric rise. Nicknamed 'El Diablito' (because of his resemblance to Marco Etcheverry, the Bolivian player who nicknamed himself El Diablo), it wasn't long before he was making a name for himself.

In 2017, when his team took part in a tournament organised in Venice (Italy), the young player distinguished himself by scoring nine goals in River's six matches, in a competition in which the Argentinians only finished third. Echeverri was far from happy with the result, telling reporters: "The truth is that we're not happy because we wanted to win the tournament." Regarded as one of the club's great hopefuls, he continued to climb the ranks, excelling in all the levels in which he played. However, judged too fragile by some coaches, Echeverri was put on a strict nutritional regime.

The midfield talent was given a helping hand by a growth spurt at the age of 15, and having already been training with the Primera side for several weeks, Echeverri signed his first professional contract on the 28th of December 2022, with a release clause of £21.3 million. A regular fixture in River Plate coach Martin Demichelis's Superliga and Copa Libertadores squads, Echeverri finally made his professional debut on the 23th of June 2023, coming on as a substitute for Nacho Fernandez against Instituto AC. It was a chance for Echeverri to fulfil a childhood dream (he was still just 17 years, 5 months and 20 days old), and he did so with an assist, just minutes after coming off the bench.

Claudio Echeverri's contract dispute with River Plate

In July of 2023, he was crowned Argentinian champion with River Plate, despite having played just 72 minutes in the league that season. On the 15th of December, a few days after shining at the U17 World Cup, Echeverri caused a minor stir by revealing which club he would like to join in the future: "Apart from River, I'd say Barcelona. I'm a big fan of Leo Messi and I used to watch his Barcelona games when I was a kid." Not a surprising choice, given that the attacking midfielder is often compared to La Pulga. On the 23th of December 2023, having just made his first start for River Plate in the Argentinian Super Cup against Rosario Central, the 17-year-old dropped a bombshell, provoking the ire of the club's fans. "I'm not going to renew (my contract), I'll continue for another six months or a year and then we'll see what happens," he told ESPN.

It was an explosive announcement, accompanied by critical comments about his limited playing time (155 minutes over the year). Did he know things we didn't already know? Possibly. While he may have given his preference to Barcelona, it is in fact Manchester City to whom the Argentine prodigy has committed himself on a contract that runs until 2028.

A huge change for a player who only recently celebrated his eighteenth birthday, and a move arguably only made possible by his exploits with his national team. Called up for the U17s for the first time on the 16th of March 2022, Echeverri quickly became their captain. With 22 caps to his name, the Argentinian attacking midfielder has also scored 13 goals for the Albiceleste.

Having already made a name for himself in the South American U17 championship (five goals and three assists in eight games), it was at the last U17 World Cup that he really came into his own, leading his side to fourth place in the competition and shining with his individual performances (five goals and one assist in 7 games). Already called up to Javier Mascherano's U23 squad, Echeverri is currently taking part in the CONMEBOL pre-Olympic tournament.

Claudio Echeverri's style of play

Echeverri is what you might call an 'old-fashioned No10', with outstanding technical ability and unfailing creativity. His coach at U17 level with Argentina, Diego Placente, said: "He's one of those players who can change the course of a match with one move. He will become a great player, but we need to let him grow up."

Fast, agile, with impressive vision and instincts, he will need to continue working on his physical stature if he is to meet the demands of English football. But, as Johan Cruyff rightly said: "You play football with your head, and your legs are there to help you." Echeverri will be hoping his technical skills can more than make up for any physical slights he might have right now.

What next for Claudio Echeverri at Manchester City

His future may be crystal clear, but the details have yet to be worked out. Echeverri now has a year to establish himself as an undisputed regular for River Plate and put in a string of performances to give the club's fans some lasting memories of a player they adopted when he was still a long way from the final version many hope he will become.

On his return to Manchester, he will be able to count on the advice of Julian Alvarez, another former River Plate player to help him adapt to his new country. All that remains is to convince Pep Guardiola - or anyone else - of his abilities. But given what he has already shown, that may not take long.