Diablito Echeverri’s key to success: How he coped with media pressure since he was 11

” I’m very calm. Yesterday I spoke with my family about this problem because a lot of things happen to me being so young. I feel a lot of pressure from people and I have to live with that. Sometimes it stresses me out or tires me out, so to speak. I have to try to live with it, the truth is that it’s a lot, but I’m in very good company. I’m very happy too. Yesterday I was a little depressed about it, because there’s a lot of expectation towards me, because you start thinking and saying ‘I have to do my best to make people believe everything that is said about me’, but once on the pitch, I try to forget about it and give the best of myself to the team”. with these words, Claudio Diablito Echeverri He expressed after the victory against Venezuela how he tries to assimilate the pressure of the public.

Echeverri’s case is not like that of most of his Argentina U17 team-mates. Even before starting his career in the youth teams, he was already viral on social networks, he has more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and several River Plate supporters were placing all their hopes. in this talented footballer. He came to Núñez in 2017 from Deportivo Luján, and in less than half a year he went viral for his goals against Europe’s most powerful sides in a tournament played in Italy. One of his first high points to rise to prominence was when he was 11 years old. and scored four goals for Juventus in the Venice Champions Trophy.

Martin Pellegrinowho was one of his coaches in the ninth division, in dialogue with GlobeLiveMedia He explained that even the rivals prepared in a special way to face the Little Devil. “Ever since he was a kid, he had this opportunity to stand out. And the rivals, as they grew and the years passed, worried about facing a rival of Claudio’s category, taking precautions. Children’s football is not the same as amateur football. They made a different brand. He had to learn different obstacles, learn to play football, not so much ball, understand spaces, play in a team, it’s a team sport, in which his teammates help him and he helps his teammates very intelligent and he knew how to understand and integrate this quickly”.

Faced with this scenario, how does such a young footballer manage to assimilate this “pressure”? “First, with speaking, talking a lot with the boys. We try to explain to them that compliments are nice, it feels good, but they are often confusing, especially when they come from social networks, from people who are not with him on a daily basis. He must listen to his coaches, his parents, his intimate entourage, they are the ones who really love him and who want the best for him. And try to ignore the praise from people, from social networks, which are beautiful things but are often fictitious and do not mark reality. We try to make him see this reality. Claudio is a very intelligent boy, a very good person and he knew how to get out of it”, explained the current coach of the Eighth Division.

“They are treated like professionals and they are boys. Some are children and some are teenagers. The difference with the professional is that the professional is paid, but he trains from Monday to Friday, he goes to the gym, he lives the same professional life, with similar requirements to those of a professional, but with problems of a teenager. From that side, we try to approach them, explain them and understand them as well. Mistakes that they can make, which are normal, and we support them in this process, so that when they arrive in the First Division, they can do it well trained and make as few mistakes as possible, “he said. he concluded.

Pablo Fernandez, his other ninth division coach -now he also has him in reserve as he is Marcelo Escudero’s field assistant-, has also reflected on his mental strength and training to best adapt to this situation . “A key is his personality. The kid has a very particular personality. He is very humble, hardworking. There are many players who have made a lot of difference in children’s soccer and when they arrive in the youth team and we treat them all the same, they feel they’re not the star anymore, they make faces, say things This boy was never like that, he never made a face if he had to go out . He is very focused, very humble. The first merit is his, to be so. He is a very polite boybegan his story with this site.

“He was always very humble in the way he behaved. After our game, the best form, since the novena, which was when I had to receive it for the first time… Unfortunately the pandemic affected us. But during those months, the top secret was that we treat all boys the same. From 1 to 35. It also puts your feet on the ground, there is no preferential treatment. It’s not that he trains two days less and plays the same, or “come here you’re a phenomenon” or “the team is Claudio plus 10”. I’ve never seen him put it in a different place than the rest of the teammates, and it keeps him grounded. I think the club didn’t rush to sign him either, they did it when he couldn’t take it anymore. At the end of last year, with the national team, it started as a new expedition of the public part. Added to that, he made his reserve debut with a goal. When they returned from vacation, they signed the contract. Now he has strengthened himself a little more with the South American, ”underlined the deputy of the Reserve. Currently, his release clause is €25m, but given the large number of powerhouse clubs in Europe interested in signing him from River Plate, they have indicated they will be looking to raise his price to €50m via a new link.

Another factor that could have influenced this story is that River Plate found him a home so that Diablito Echeverri could leave boarding school and be with his parents to go through this whole process. “He was able to evolve here with the family. He has values ​​of humility, of work, I understand that being here with the parents helped in this training. He did not suffer so much from being uprooted. He has a very particular way, always with an open head to receive indications and suggestions,” Fernández concluded.

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