‘Argentina future No. 10 shirt in good hands’
Turning in a stunning performance in Friday's quarter-final against Brazil at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia, Claudio Echeverri's hattrick helped Argentina beat the four-time winners of the competition for the first time in the age group.
With the No. 10 stamped on his back and the captain's armband firmly in place, Echeverri -- nicknamed El Diablito (the Little Devil) -- produced a display worthy of comparison with Lionel Messi, almost a year on from his heroics in Qatar.
Aside from sharing a certain likeness with the Argentina talisman and a similar gift for dribbling and bringing the ball under instant control, the youngster also made a little piece of history that Messi can relate to. Back in 2005, Messi produced a virtuoso performance of his own against Brazil at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.
Following a shock defeat against Senegal in the ongoing tournament opener, Echeverri told FIFA in an interview that he idolises Messi and one of Messi's idols, Pablo Aimar. "I always said that my idol was Messi, but I'm nowhere near Messi. I also really liked Pablo Aimar … and he gives me useful pointers about what I need to correct in my game."
Despite being only 17, Echeverri's reputation has preceded him for a number of years. In fact, he was barely ten when his four-goal haul versus Juventus in a youth competition became the talk of the internet.
Daniel Brizuela, who discovered Echeverri while scouting for River Plate, recalled his initial impression of the exceptional talent.
"When I had just arrived and I saw him one day, I told one of the coaches 'he's a mix of [Diego] Maradona and Messi'… because he has the mettle, personality and character of Maradona and the characteristics are similar to those of Messi."
"We have the team's number 10 shirt in good hands for the future, and that is something incredible."
Once the tournament draws curtains on December 2, Echeverri is likely to be in the radar of several European heavyweights. Echeverri, though, desires to follow in the footsteps of Messi, donning the FC Barcelona colours.
Prior to the tournament, he said, "As well as River, I would like to play for Barça. I used to watch Messi play for Barcelona, so I've had this team inside me since I was very young."
Echeverri, currently the joint-top scorer in the competition with Agustin Ruberto on five goals, is all set to lead Argentina to their only missing silverware. But first, they have to pass the Germany hurdle in Tuesday's semifinals.