What they say

Uruguayan legend Enzo Francescoli, who was general manager at River Plate: “He’s the sort of player who is thinking about winning the ball even when his team are in possession. On the pitch he’s calm and very intelligent. He’s played in a lot of high-pressure games for River Plate and

“He’s the sort of player who is thinking about winning the ball even when his team are in possession”

always performs with total composure and great maturity.” Journalist Eduardo Jose Ustaritz: “When he fractured his foot [in September 2014] it was the heart of River Plate which was broken. A heart of barely 21 years but a soul aged 50.”