Argentina's new World Cup hero says he'd like to play for Barca

Just before the U17 World Cup began, Argentina star Claudio Echeverri said he would like to play for Barcelona one day.

"Besides River [Plate], it's Barcelona, because I'm a big Messi fan and I used to watch him play in Barcelona. I carry that from a very young age."

We're not even surprised he said that – he shines for Argentina's youth national team as an attacking midfielder carrying no. 10. This can't be a coincidence.

Echeverri has scored a hat-trick against Brazil in the U17 World Cup, all goals being absolute beauties. One of them was a copy of Messi's strike from 11 years ago.

They have a pic together too, by the way.

The 17-year-old plays for Argentinian side River Plate. His current deal with the club expires in December 2024, which means he may soon be available for a relatively low fee.