Who is the Argentine teenager admired by Barcelona, Chelsea and Man City?

While most 11-year-olds are navigating the daunting prospect of secondary school, Claudio Echeverri was dealing with the aftermath of becoming a viral sensation.

On the radar of scouts and social media since scoring four goals against Juventus for River Plate’s youth team, Echeverri has been thrust back into the spotlight by his performances at the under-17 World Cup for Argentina.

El Diablito (the little devil) – a nickname earned simply because his surname is similar to former Bolivian forward Marco Etcheverry, who went by El Diablo – is on the radar of clubs from across Europe’s elite.

Here’s everything you need to know about River Plate’s attacking midfielder who has already packed a lot into his nascent career.

As an 11-year-old, Echeverri only joined River Plate on the condition that his parents had a flat in Buenos Aires rented for them by the club. River’s academy director Claudio Brizuela recalled the literal standoff: “We were standing in front of the Monumental, and Echeverri said to me: ‘I am a River fan, and I love it here, but if my mother isn’t joining me, then I will head back to Chaco.'”

Not everyone is a fan of Echeverri’s hard bargaining. “He has to secure his own future, not ours,” his father has fretted.

The weight of expectation is already taking its toll on the teenager. “I’d talk to my family and I’d sometimes feel under a lot of pressure,” Echeverri, who employs a psychologist, revealed. “I get stressed or tired and I have to try and live with that, which is a lot.”

Practically unknown even within River’s academy six months earlier, Echeverri’s name was plastered all over the internet when he scored four goals (and set up another one) as an 11-year-old against Juventus.

The ball comes up to everyone’s knee and most of the players are fighting with their billowing kit as much as each other but it’s evident from the array of accomplished finishes that Echeverri is a cut above the other tweens on the pitch. That he would remain head and shoulders above his peers throughout adolescence was no guarantee.

At the under-17 South American championships in April 2023, Echeverri continued to run rings around the best teenagers from across the continent, captaining Argentina while directly contributing to eight goals in as many appearances.

River had already tied Echeverri down to a first-team contract before the tournament and he was duly given his top-flight debut by…