Claudio Jeremías Echeverri (born 2 January 2006) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or forward for Primera División club River Plate, on loan from Premier League club Manchester City. Considered one of the best young players in the world, he is known for his speed, vision, positioning, creativity, and a “devilish” dribbling style, which has earned him the nicknames “El Diablito” or “El Diablo” in his home country.[2][3][4][5]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Claudio Jeremías Echeverri[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 January 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Resistencia, Chaco, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
River Plate (on loan from Manchester City) | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Club Luján | |||
| 2017–2023 | River Plate | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | River Plate | 5 | (0) |
| 2024– | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | → River Plate (loan) | 22 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022–2023 | Argentina U17 | 23 | (12) |
| 2024– | Argentina U23 | 9 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:00, 16 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:15, 2 August 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editRiver Plate
editBorn in Resistencia, Chaco Province, Echeverri started his career with Deportivo Luján, before trialling with River Plate at the end of 2016, going on to sign officially the following year.[6] He first rose to international attention in the footballing world for his performances at a children's tournament in Venice, Italy with River. Despite his team finishing third in the tournament, he scored nine goals in six games, stating "The truth is that we are not happy [finishing third], we wanted to be champions".[7]
In October 2022, he scored on his debut for River's reserve team against Patronato's reserve.[8] He signed his first professional contract with River in December of the same year, with a release clause reportedly worth 25 million dollar.[6][9] On 11 October 2023, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.[10]
On 22 June 2023, at 17 years, 5 months and 20 days old, he made his professional debut in a league match against Instituto, coming on as a substitute for Ignacio Fernández. He provided an assist during the game, helping River Plate to a 3–1 victory.[11]
On 22 December 2023, during a post-match interview after conquering the Trofeo de Campeones with River Plate, Echeverri announced that he would not renew his contract with the club, which expires on 31 December 2024.[12]
On 17 March 2024, he scored his first professional goal against Gimnasia in a 3-1 Copa de la Liga Profesional victory.[13]
Manchester City
editOn 25 January 2024, Echeverri agreed to join Premier League club Manchester City on a four-and-a-half-year contract, remaining on loan at River Plate until January 2025.[14]
International career
editEcheverri has represented Argentina at both under-17 and under-23 levels.[1] Echeverri scored five goals and assisted thrice for Argentina in the 2023 South American U-17 Championship in Ecuador, where Argentina ended third and qualified them for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia. On 24 November 2023, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 quarter-final victory over rivals Brazil.[15] He scored five goals and won the Bronze Boot as Argentina lost to eventual winners Germany on penalties in the semi-finals before losing to Mali in the third place match.[16] He also represented Argentina U-23 in the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in Venezuela where they qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.[17]
Style of play
editA gifted playmaker, Echeverri has been nicknamed El Diablito (English: little devil) after former Bolivian international footballer Marco Etcheverry, who was nicknamed El Diablo, as the two share "devilish" dribbling, pace in one-on-one situations, and a powerful shot, as well as a similar last name.[6][18][19][20] He has listed Lionel Messi and former River player Juan Fernando Quintero as two players he idolises.[6] Unlike Messi, he is right-footed, but they are similar in stature (171 cm) and share that low centre of gravity dribbling style.[21]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 13 September 2024[22]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League Cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| River Plate | 2023 | Argentine Primera División | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024[d] | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 8[e] | 1 | 1[f] | 0 | 30 | 4 | ||
| Total | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 3 | ||
| Manchester City | 2024-25 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career total | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 3 | ||
- ^ Includes Copa Argentina
- ^ Includes Copa de la Liga Profesional
- ^ Appearance in Trofeo de Campeones
- ^ Season spent on loan from Manchester City
- ^ Appearances in Copa Libertadores
- ^ Appearance in Supercopa Argentina
Honours
editRiver Plate
Individual
- FIFA U-17 World Cup Bronze Boot: 2023[23]
References
edit- ^ a b Claudio Echeverri at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "NXGN 2024: The 50 best wonderkids in football | Goal.com UK". www.goal.com. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "Manchester City agree €25m deal to sign Claudio Echeverri from River Plate | Manchester City | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ "'The boy is a talent!' - Xavi admits admiration for Claudio Echeverri as Barcelona linked with teenage River Plate star | Goal.com". www.goal.com. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ Lee, Sam. "Echeverri transfer: Similar path to Alvarez but will take longer to reach City's first XI". The Athletic. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d "River blindó a su joya: le puso una cláusula de 25 millones de dólares al Diablito Echeverri" [River shielded its jewel: it put a clause of 25 million dollars on Diablito Echeverri]. tn.com.ar (in Spanish). 29 December 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "El Diablito Echeverri: la nueva joya de River es un chaqueño de 11 años" [El Diablito Echeverri: River's new jewel is an 11-year-old from Chaco]. clarin.com (in Spanish). 24 July 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "River venció a Patronato, por el Torneo de Reserva: resumen, goles y más". TyC Sports (in Spanish). 8 October 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ Ruiz, Pascual (28 December 2022). "River blinda a su joya: Claudio Echeverri firma su primer contrato profesional" [River shields its jewel: Claudio Echeverri signs his first professional contract]. ar.marca.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (11 October 2023). "Next Generation 2023: 60 of the best young talents in world football". theguardian.com. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "River Plate 3-1 Instituto (Córdoba) (22 Jun, 2023) Commentary - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ Sanderson, Tom (23 December 2023). "'New Messi' FC Barcelona Target Claudio Echeverri Confirms He Won't Renew River Plate Contract". Forbes. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ "(VIDEO) La EMOCIÓN de ECHEVERRI por su PRIMER GOL en RIVER - TyC Sports". www.tycsports.com (in Spanish). 17 March 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "City sign Claudio Echeverri from River Plate". Manchester City F.C. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Argentina venció 3–0 a Brasil y se metió en las semifinales del Mundial Sub 17" [Argentina beat Brazil 3–0 and reach the semifinals of the Under 17 World Cup] (in Spanish). Argentine Football Association. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "Magnificent Mali clinch bronze". FIFA. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ Summerscales, Robert (12 February 2024). "Argentina Qualify for 2024 Olympic Men's Soccer Tournament but Brazil Miss Out". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "Quién es Claudio Echeverri, el pibe de River que deslumbró en Italia: tiene 11 años y sus goles son furor en las redes sociales" [Who is Claudio Echeverri, the River boy who dazzled in Italy: he is 11 years old and his goals are all the rage on social networks]. lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 23 July 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "¿Quién es el 'Diablito' Echeverri que destaca en el fútbol argentino?" [Who is the 'Diablito' Echeverri who stands out in Argentine soccer?]. la-razon.com (in Spanish). 13 October 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ Vázquez, Antonio (28 December 2022). "Quién es Claudio Echeverri, la joya de las juveniles de River que firma primer contrato con una cláusula millonaria" [Who is Claudio Echeverri, the jewel of River's youth who signs the first contract with a million-dollar clause]. goal.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ "All you need to know about Claudio Echeverri, Man City's 'new Messi'". OneFootball. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ Claudio Echeverri at Soccerway
- ^ "FIFA U-17 World Cup awards". FIFA.com. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.