Claudio Echeverri: The Little Devil

Already known within the international community, Echeverri became even more so after his spectacular performance against Brazil in the U-17 World Cup.

We’ll now introduce this promising Argentine footballer, who, in fact, can already be treated as a reality.

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Claudio Echeverri’s Journey

Claudio Jeremías Echeverri, also known as Echeverri, or even as “The Little Devil,” is a 17-year-old player.

Born on January 2, 2006, in Resistencia, Argentina, The Little Devil is another success story from River Plate’s youth categories.

The team, in addition to its historical contribution to world-class Argentine stars, recently introduced Enzo Fernandez and Julian Alvarez to the world.

Both players hold international star status and, above all, were crucial in winning the World Cup for Argentina.

Echeverri is beginning to pave his own path at just 17 years old.

Since he was 15/16 years old, he has been causing a stir in the Argentine media. Touted as a player with a brilliant future, which we’ll confirm later, River Plate’s product is living up to the expectations placed upon him.

Image: River Plate

His international popularity began to rise with the 2023 U-17 South American Championship held in Ecuador.

In the tournament, Argentina finished first in their group and secured third place overall. Brazil won the championship.

Echeverri was the tournament’s top scorer with 5 goals. The Little Devil’s goals secured Argentina’s place in the U-17 World Cup, currently being contested.

Unfortunately, for Argentina and Echeverri, elimination came in the semifinals after losing to Germany in a penalty shootout. A 3-3 draw in regular time was followed by a 4-2 victory for Germany in penalties.

But the most noteworthy fact, especially concerning Echeverri, was his outstanding performance in the greatest rivalry in world football.

Brazil defeated Argentina in the South American Championship, leaving a taste of revenge for the “Hermanos.” The Little Devil assumed this responsibility as naturally as possible. He disregarded the Canarinha selection and applied a ruthless 3-0 victory, being the author of all three goals.

In addition to being the top scorer of the South American Championship, Echeverri is the second-highest scorer of the World Cup with 5 goals, trailing only behind his national teammate, Augustín Fabián Ruberto.

For River Plate’s senior team, he has played four matches, contributing with one assist.

For Argentina’s youth teams, he’s a constant presence in every call-up. After all, he’s not the number 10 and captain by chance.

His trajectory and favourable evolution curve have piqued the interest of Real Madrid, making him the new “Endrick project” of the world’s greatest club.

Image: Divulgação/AFA

Playing Style and Statistics

Echeverri would be a classic number 10, but not just that.

Playing with the shirt that celebrated Pelé, Maradona, and Messi, he operates as an attacking midfielder.

He’s a cerebral player, capable of understanding when the game requires acceleration or a slower pace.

Possessing sensational ball control, it’s very challenging for opponents to dispossess him. This becomes even more complex when playing in the central sector of the field, where marking can come from various directions and the pressure zone is tighter than on the wings.

However, he manages to float in the final third of the field, moving towards the wings, especially the left side, to exert his powerful 1-on-1 skills.

His game vision is impressive. He can set up his attacking teammates with a few touches of the ball, putting them face-to-face with the goal.

As if that wasn’t enough, he has a goal-scoring instinct. As mentioned earlier, the attacking midfielder already boasts top scorer titles in his resume. The main reason is his ability to read the goalkeepers’ and defenders’ positions, combined with intelligence in finishing moves with class.

According to Wyscout, considering official competitions like the South American Championship and the U-17 World Cup, along with his matches as a River Plate professional, The Little Devil has a success rate of 61% in his actions.

Moreover, his goal-scoring average is 0.6 per match, almost a goal every two games. A very interesting number when talking about an attacking midfielder.

Furthermore, he has an 82.2% pass accuracy, which should be valued, given that he’s responsible for the final pass, thus increasing the chances of error due to the difficulty of finding the perfect window to deliver the assist. He averages 0.3 assists, or one assist every three games.

Image: Instagram Reproduction

Future Prospects and Evaluation

From the analyses conducted, it’s challenging to find glaring deficiencies in Claudio Echeverri’s football. His qualities have been mentioned numerous times.

He also benefits from the scarcity of players in his position, with his playing style and qualities.

In a game that increasingly favours wingers, the figure of a cerebral midfielder capable of scoring goals seems to be a thing of the past. From the 1960s to the 1990s, this role was occupied by names like Pelé, Maradona, Zico, Platini, and even Ronaldinho Gaúcho later on; today, it seems to be a rarity.

Thus, he will be a unique asset with the necessary quality to perform as expected of him.

Another positive point is the foundation work and integration into the professional team done by River Plate.

Therefore, considering all aspects and the likelihood of playing at a high level in the top-tier European teams, Claudio Echeverri, The Little Devil, receives a rating of 8.9.

Image: Instagram Reproduction

Written by Vitor F L Miller.