Who is Claudio Echeverri? Argentina’s ‘next Messi’ wanted by Chelsea and Man City

Suraj Radia

Updated: 17 Dec 2023 11:58 GMT
6 min read

It seems like there is a 'new Lionel Messi' every year, but in the case of Claudio Echeverri, the comparisons could have some merit.

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Echeverri starred for Argentina during the Under-17 World Cup and his exploits attracted global attention when he scored a hat-trick against Brazil in Indonesia.

Having already made his debut for River Plate, Echeverri appears to be on the pathway to greatness and it is no surprise that some of Europe’s biggest sides are already keeping tabs on the youngster.

But why is Echeverri exciting so many people in football and is he truly the greatest thing to come out of Argentina since Messi? FootballTransfers takes a look at River’s latest wonderkid.

What position does Claudio Echeverri play in?

Echeverri is still early into his career but he has featured for River Plate and Argentina’s youth sides mainly as an attacking midfielder and a right-footed number ten.

How good is Claudio Echeverri?

Although comparisons to Messi are perhaps a dime a dozen in South America, none perhaps deserve it more than Echeverri, as proven by his hat-trick against Brazil in the 2023 Under-17 World Cup.

The 17-year-old showcased his incredible dribbling, pace and skill during the quarter-finals, with one of his goals mirroring one of Messi’s in his early days against Brazil.

Lionel Messi vs. Brazil 🤝 Claudio Echeverri vs. Brazilpic.twitter.com/c63H3Tbr0f
— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) November 24, 2023

Echeverri finished the World Cup as third top scorer, having scored a total of five goals in the tournament (he also got two assists). However, he has netted 12 times in 20 games at under-17 level for his country overall.

Nicknamed ‘El Diablito’, Echeverri has perhaps unsurprisingly listed Messi as one of his idols and the Ballon d’Or winner’s playstyle in his youth certainly matches that of the River Plate youngster.

Echeverri first rose to light in the Venice Champions Trophy in 2017, when, at the age of 11, he scored nine goals in six games in the children’s tournament aimed at some of the biggest clubs in the world.

The teenager has already made four appearances for River Plate and dazzled fans with his technique in his limited game time, having grabbed an assist on his professional debut.

With confidence, ability and bags of flair, Echeverri looks set to continue his meteoric rise to stardom and justify the comparisons to his idol Messi.

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A post shared by Claudio Echeverri (@claudioecheverri_)

What clubs are interested in signing Claudio Echeverri?

Before the Under-17 World Cup began, Milan, Juventus, Manchester City and Real Madrid were all touted with an interest in Echeverri, and that has only increased since his performances in Indonesia.

The Mirror have reported that Man City are now leading the race to sign Echeverri and they have history with River Plate after Julian Alvarez's move from the Argentine club.

Fabrizio Romano reported in December 2023 that "both Chelsea and Man City have made contact to be informed on Claudio Echeverri's situation."

Romano added that "Barcelona remain keen but the structure of the deal makes it complicated with Financial Fair Play."

:flag-ar: Release clause: €25m, up to €30m in the final days of the market.

Former Milan director Paolo Maldini is said to have met with River Plate’s president during the summer, and Echeverri’s name came up in discussions.

In addition, Real Madrid have reportedly already have come up with a proposal to sign him and loan him out, either in Spain or back to River.

Intriguingly, Echeverri is thought to have a release clause of €25-30 million in his contract, meaning teams could potentially move towards a bargain coup over their rivals.