Claudio Echeverri

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 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.

River Plate
Born 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. 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".

In October 2022, he scored on his debut for River's reserve team against Patronato's reserve. He signed his first professional contract with River in December of the same year, with a release clause reportedly worth 25 million dollar. On 11 October 2023, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide.

On June 22, 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.

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.

On 17 March 2024, he scored his first professional goal against Gimnasia in a 3-1 Copa de la Liga Profesional victory.

Manchester City
On 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.

International career
Echeverri has represented Argentina at both under-17 and under-23 levels. On 24 November 2023, in the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 victory over rivals Brazil. He scored a total of 5 goals and winning the Bronze boot as Argentina lost to Germany on penalties in the Semi Finals. Echeverri scored 5 times and assisted thrice for Argentina in the 2023 South American U-17 Championship in Ecuador, where Argentina ended third. He has also represented Argentina U-23 in the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in Venezuela where they qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Style of play
A 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. He has listed Lionel Messi and former River player Juan Fernando Quintero as two players he idolises. Unlike Messi, he is right-footed, but they are similar in stature (171 cm) and share that low centre of gravity dribbling style.

Honours
River Plate
 * Argentine Primera División: 2023
 * Trofeo de Campeones: 2023
 * Supercopa Argentina: 2023

Individual
 * FIFA U-17 World Cup Bronze Boot: 2023