How Argentina Intends To Replace Messi

I’m a casual fan of Liga Professional and often try and catch up with the weekend highlights on a Monday morning. The league for me is known as one of the most brutal and demanding in planet football. Every game is a battle and even giant names of the nation like Boca Juniors and River Plate are hardly ever guaranteed an easy ride, this after all is a nation who’s players are used to competing at the highest level, and they’ll often do everything they can to make sure they compete on a level against the best.

Argentine DNA is different. Football runs thick in the blood, losing in football is never an option for an Argentine, but if results don’t always go their way, that hurt only drives future success.

This is why a nation of 46 million can often compete against those with much larger resources. In comparison Brazil’s population is 213 million and although they have won 5 World Cups to Argentina’s 3. La Albiceleste have 16 Copa America successes to A Seleção’s 9.

The countries whole football style is based on beating their bigger brother. Call it a little man syndrome, where the smaller siblings try that extra bit harder, they become more aggressive, more robust, because they have to be nasty to win, the mentality is to outperform your opponent, and with that mentality, you get a hard working footballer that has not just worked on their technique and their tenacity, but from an early age understands the importance of football and what it means, whether it be international level, club level, or even just playing on the streets of Boca, against your bigger older brother.

Anyone who watched the World Cup final might feel disenchanted with the Argentine approach, not always to everyone’s liking. But they knew they couldn’t take on Spain man for man, so tactically resulted in other forms of gamesmanship to attempt not win that final, but to stop themselves from losing. It didn’t work, just as it didn’t work in 1990 when they tried similar enforcing tactics against the West Germans. But that mentality in understanding what they are up against, in doing what they can, not to get beat, to try and survive, is why they always seem to do so well.

The next generation is full of that same tenacity, but above all they have technique, Argentine football has a conveyor belt of stars that have came through generation via generation from the days way back of Di Stefano, Kempes, Maradona, Batistuta, Riquelme to the present, and I have no doubt that will ever continue, because football in this football mad nation is more important than life itself.

The great Lionel Messi may or may not, play in another World Cup, but Argentina already have a plan in place, just in case the greatest footballer of all time, should ever call time on a glittering career.

As the second and third matches of the Liga Professional Clausura are played, I noticed a trend that really excites me, which looks good for the future of Argentine football, and that is the huge number of teen stars coming through, playmakers, wingers, no10’s and attackers, all getting game time in the toughest division in national football, so let’s have a look at those who could, potentially become, the next successor, to the great Lionel Messi.

Tomas Aranda

Age: 19

Club: Boca Juniors

A highly technical dribbling playmaker with incredible speed of feet, the scare is it feels that anyone who wears the Boca number ten is destined for intense scrutiny, not all those that don the famous Azul y Oro get to go on and become superstars, but Aranda has attributes that excites the casual fan, that catches they eye of the impressionable coaches and scouts who are impressed with the skills he regularly shows, he can beat players in a similar way to that of Lionel Messi, and is highly regarded as a young footballer with exceptional talent, a ten or wide man happy on either foot, that will lift bums off seats, an exciting prospect already capped by the national team.

Leonel Flores

Age: 19

Club: Boca Juniors

Already rumoured to have interested Brighton & Hove Albion (who have an eye for finding talent themselves), Leonel Flores is a tenacious winger with a knack for scoring goals, with a composed right foot he gets on the end of as many chances as he creates and often times his runs into the box with perfection. Having recently broken into the Boca team he can play in a variety of positions, useful from the right or left, he can also play more as a central attacker.

Facundo Guch

Age: 19

Club: Newell’s Old Boys

A left footed playmaker with guile, Facundo Guch is a leggy playmaker who can carry the ball forward and beat defenders with his long stride, but can unlock passes and set forwards away, as well as shoot from range, a free kick specialist. Perhaps not your usual style Argentine ten, but a footballer in similarities in possession to that of Jude Bellingham, is one that can perhaps play in a deeper role, but due to his qualities in possession, is a key asset for la lepra when in further advanced positions.

Lautaro Thomas Rios

Age: 19

Club: Newell’s Old Boys

Having only signed his first professional contract in April, Thomas Rios made his first team debut in the first round of this years Clausura after coming on as a late substitute in a 1-0 win against Telleres two weeks ago, he received an earlier than expected appearance after coming on as a first half substitute in a 1-0 loss at Independiente, and then made his first 1st team start in the 2-2 draw with Boca Juniors just last night. A talented forward from the Venado Tuerto area, Rios is a powerful left footed winger who can carry the ball forward like a bulldog with a stick in his mouth. You won’t stop him, once he gets going.

Lautaro Pereyra

Age: 18

Club: River Plate

At just eighteen-years-old Pereyra has already been described as ‘the future of Argentine football’ which is testament to what his club side River Plate, think of him. A strong, quick and skilful number ten who has a very good right foot, he’s been at River Plate since the age of ten and has Argentina Youth caps, is already being eyed up by some of Europe’s top club sides. Perhaps better as a central midfielder, but comfortable in advanced positions with his good range of passing, his ability to get out of tight spaces and get a shot or pass away keeping his team-mates on the front foot makes him a very dangerous weapon regardless of his location on the pitch.

Joaquin Freitas

Age: 19

Club: River Plate

Inventive and progressive, Freitas plays on the front foot and is always looking to create or sniff out danger, is at his best in and around the box where he can either thread intricate passes through to team-mates, or even get on the end of moves to score goals. Better as a winger, he has pace and vision, right footed, he joined River Plate from Primera B side Acassuso where he made his debut aged 16, he’s already earned his first National cap and is a regular in the River team.

Giovanni Cantizano

Age: 19

Club: Rosario Central

Another amazingly talented diminutive Argentine with terrific close control and ball dribbling ability. A playmaker who in the recent win against River Plate, dribbled around almost the whole defence and had his on watching team-mate Angel Di Maria in awe. A really special footballer who has played out wide for Rosario but it is when he appears centrally when moments of magic happen, he’s only played 15 times so far but has two goals and four assists to his name already, a promising starlet with an exciting career ahead.

Alejandro Tello

Age: 18

Club: Racing Club

At just eighteen, Tello is already of good size and possesses a nice touch of the football, is one deeper lying that can penetrate opposition defences, and is a player who is not afraid to put his foot in where it hurts. With two goals and two assists in just nineteen senior appearances already, it shows an all around game he possesses from all over midfield, not dis-similar to that of a Declan Rice (English equivalent) and one who can perhaps play a few roles for his team, who’s ability boasting a greater all around game has him centrally at his best.

Tello, like the others listed above will probably not perhaps live up to the thankless task of being Argentina’s next Lionel Messi, let’s face it, GOATS don’t come around that often enough, but these are some fine and fabulous footballers in a list of young teenage footballers who have the ability and tenacity to potentially go on to greater things, including representing Argentina, and perhaps winning a Copa America or World Cup like many Argentines have done before?

The benefits that these young players boast verses many of a similar age is that they are already playing regularly in one of the world’s most competitive leagues, whilst Liga Professional is not at the elite levels of Europe, for now, it is far more aggressive and demanding than most in world football, and as tested in time, this often provides good schooling for future stars to come.

theHEADscout.

I’m a sports DATA Analyst and PFSA associate scout with level two qualifications in talent identification and level one certificates in technical scouting & opposition analysis.