Matías Kranevitter

River Plate

Born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Kranevitter started his career at San Martín de Tucumán's youth setup, but left the club at the age of 12 due to his family's poor financial situation. In 2007, aged 14, he joined River Plate after impressing on a trial. After being initially assigned to the reserves, Kranevitter was also a member of the under-20s during its U-20 Copa Libertadores winning campaign in 2012. On 2 December of that year he made his first team debut, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 home win against Lanús. Kranevitter was promoted to the main squad by new manager Ramón Díaz. Initially a backup to Leonardo Ponzio and Cristian Ledesma, he appeared in 30 matches during the 2013–14 season, 16 as a starter, overcoming the latter midway through the campaign. In September 2014, already a regular starter, Kranevitter suffered a metatarsus injury, being ruled out until the following year. In October, however, he trained with crutches and returned to action in late November, being utilized in both legs of 2014 Copa Sudamericana Finals. The successes continued in 2015, highlighted by winning the Recopa Sudamericana and the Copa Libertadores.

Atlético Madrid

On 25 August 2015, La Liga side Atlético Madrid reached an agreement with River for the sale of Kranevitter, for a rumoured fee of €8 million. He was officially announced three days later, being immediately loaned back to River until December in order to compete in the Club World…

Kranevitter represented Argentina at under-20 level in 2014 South American Youth Football Championship. He appeared in three matches, all as a starter, as his side was knocked out in the group stage. On 24 August 2015, Kranevitter was called up to the main squad for two friendlies against Bolivia and Mexico as a replacement to injured Lucas Biglia. He made his full international debut on 4 September, starting in a 7–0 routing of the former at the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. Kranevitter was nominated in the 2016 Copa América squad and was part of the Argentine side that ran to the final. He was subbed on in the 57th minute of the final against Chile, which Chile won 4–2 on penalties.

Mainly a defensive midfielder, Kranevitter has been deployed in a role focused on breaking up opposition attacks, protecting the defensive line, and helping to control possession and tempo. He has also been noted for his tackling and positioning. Kranevitter is often compared to Javier Mascherano, due to both being River Plate youth graduates and having the same playing style.

Kranevitter also played golf during his youth, and stated that he "would be a golfer if he hadn't chosen football".