Argentina defeated the four-time champions of the competition for the first time in the age group on Friday in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia thanks to a brilliant display by Claudio Echeverri, who scored three goals.
Nearly a year after his exploits in Qatar, Echeverri, often known as El Diablito (the Little Devil), performed a performance that was comparable to that of Lionel Messi, with the captain’s armband securely in place and the No. 10 emblazoned on his back.
Not only does the young player resemble the Argentina icon in certain ways and possess a similar talent for dribbling and putting the ball under immediate control, but he also produced a small historical moment that Messi can identify with. Messi gave a brilliant display of his own in 2005 when playing Brazil at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.
In an interview with FIFA following a shocking loss to Senegal in the ongoing tournament opening, Echeverri revealed that he looks up to Messi and Pablo Aimar, another of Messi’s idols. “Messi was always my idol, but I’m not even close to him. Pablo Aimar is another person I really liked, and he gives me helpful advice on things I should improve in my game.”
Echeverri is only 17 years old, yet his reputation has preceded him for a long time. In fact, he was just ten years old when he made headlines online for scoring four goals against Juventus in a youth competition.
When scouting for River Plate, Daniel Brizuela first saw Echeverri, he thought he was a really special prospect.
“He’s a mix of [Diego] Maradona and Messi,” I told one of the coaches when I first saw him after arriving. because he shares traits with Messi and possesses Maradona’s temperament, spirit, and tenacity.”
“We have the team’s number 10 shirt in good hands for the future, and that is something incredible.”
When the competition ends on December 2, a number of European heavyweights will probably be keeping an eye on Echeverri. However, Echeverri wants to wear the FC Barcelona colours, hoping to emulate Messi.
He declared before the competition that he would like to play for Barça in addition to River. I’ve always had a soft spot for this team because I grew up watching Messi play for Barcelona.”
Echeverri, who now shares the competition’s leading scorer with Agustin Ruberto with five goals, is poised to lead Argentina to their lone trophy loss. However, they must first get past Germany in the semifinals on Tuesday.