Manchester City’s latest signing touted as next Lionel Messi

Manchester City are one of the best clubs of Europe right now. Pep Guardiola’s side, are the defending champions of the UEFA Champions League (UCL). The club have nearing completion of an agreement to sign Argentina sensation Claudio Echeverri, but the 18-year-old is not the only talented football player coming out of South America. The attacking midfielder, enjoyed a breakthrough year for both club and country, earning him a deal to the Etihad Stadium.

He became viral at the age of eleven while playing in the 2017 Venice Champions Trophy, a seven-a-side competition that featured Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Ajax, and Juventus in addition to River Plate young club. As per Fabrizio Romano claims Manchester City has agreed to purchase the River and Argentina for £20 million ($25 million) with performance related add-ons.

Echeverri is the current player on South America’s extensive roster of wonderkids, having been labelled the “next Lionel Messi” in certain quarters. City have good records of signning players from the defending World Champions, with the likes of Pablo Zabaleta, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero and Julian Alvarez.

Who is the wonder kid from Argentina?

Echeverri began his career with the local amateur team Deportivo Lujan after being born in Resistencia, the capital of the northeastern Argentina province of Chaco, in January 2006. However, at the age of ten, he made an impression during a tryout with the mighty River Plate of Buenos Aires.

The 17-year-old midfielder defeated Brazil in the U17 World Cup quarterfinals, scoring a hat-trick. At the age of sixteen, he scored his first goal for River’s reserves against Patronato in October 2022. A few weeks later, he secured his first professional contract. Since then, he has made four senior appearances while occupying a supporting role in the first squad.

Juan Carlos Pasman wrote, “Talented with excellent close control and dribbling skills, owing to an exceptional first touch, he is a first-rate passer of the ball and can score too. He is a classic No 10 in a similar vein to other River graduates, such as Ariel Ortega, Marcelo Gallardo and Pablo Aimar.”