Claudio Echeverri

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 dollars. On 11 October 2023, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide. 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. 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 was due to expire on 31 December 2024.

Manchester City

On 25 January 2024, Echeverri agreed to join Premier League club Manchester City on a four-and-a-half-year…

Echeverri has represented Argentina at both under-17 and under-23 levels. 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. 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. He also represented Argentina U-23 in the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament in Venezuela where they qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.

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 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.

Club

As of match played 23 May 2026