The next Lionel Messi? Argentine wonderkid Claudio Echeverri explains why he is ‘nowhere near’ Inter Miami superstar & picks out more suitable comparison

For a long time, football in Argentina found itself forever searching for the ‘next Diego Maradona’. Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who savoured World Cup glory with his country in 2022, has now picked up that baton and every emerging superstar in South America is likened to the current Inter Miami talisman.

Echeverri falls into that category at just 17 years of age, but the hottest of prospects – who has made his senior debut for River Plate in 2023 – is wary of being compared to an all-time great. He has told FIFA’s official website when asked which Argentinian player he is most similar to: “I always said that my idol was Messi, but I’m nowhere near Messi! I also really liked Pablo Aimar, who’s part of the national-team staff, and he’s spoken to me many times. He’s a great person, and he gives me useful pointers about what I need to correct in my game. I’d probably say ‘Pablito’, then – he was a talented player and loved to take on defenders like me.”

Echeverri is already attracting admiring glances from afar, as European heavyweights begin to notice his obvious potential, and he has all of the qualities that a South American forward would be expected to boast. The talented teenager added on his biggest strengths: “I’m not really sure what my biggest strength is. I think it could be my speed, because I'm very fast; I try to get on the ball quickly and I immediately get forward.”

While eager to avoid picking up the ‘next Messi’ tag, Echeverri is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his iconic fellow countryman. He said of his ambition for the immediate and long-term future: “I always said that my dream was to make my debut for River’s first team, and I’ve done that now. Now, it’s probably playing for the senior national team. That’s my dream.”