Echeverri Shines: Guardiola Praises the Argentinian After Goal-Scoring Debut at City

Guardiola Praises Claudio Echeverri After His Goal-Scoring Debut

Pep Guardiola has expressed his admiration for Claudio Echeverri, calling him an “incredible player” after his first goal with Manchester City. Echeverri, a young Argentinian prospect, scored from a free kick in his debut as a starter, contributing to City’s 6-0 victory over Al Ain in Atlanta, securing their place in the FIFA Club World Cup knockout rounds. The 19-year-old footballer had to be substituted at halftime due to an ankle injury. However, the 45 minutes at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium were enough to impress his coach.

It was a fantastic goal. He’s an incredible player in tight spaces. Unfortunately, he couldn’t continue due to an ankle problem, but yes, he was really good in the first few minutes, and in this competition he scored a fantastic goal, the free kick was really, really, really good.

Pep Guardiola

Echeverri arrived at City in February, but had to wait until the defeat in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace in May to play his first minutes. His Premier League debut came as a substitute in the last match of the season against Fulham. Signed from River Plate for a sum close to 18.5 million pounds (25 million dollars), a loan to Girona, a club associated with the City Football Group, has been speculated, and his short-term future is still uncertain. Guardiola continued explaining that Echeverri dedicated himself to practicing free kicks after training sessions, which demonstrates his dedication.

Since he arrived, in the previous season, the three or four months with the guys, at the end of the training session, he practiced free throws alone, with the goalkeeper, with the barrier. The others didn’t practice, he practiced and practiced, and the work pays off. So in the end, he had the courage, the quality, when you practice, you know, it’s like golf or basketball, the more free throws you practice, the more opportunities you have.

Pep Guardiola