A Name to Remember: Mauro Icardi

There are two types of boys born in Argentina: those that are labeled “wunderkind” and everyone else. The latest young Argentine football player to receive the wunderkind designation is Mauro Icardi, a 14-year-old striker currently playing for Vecindario in the Canary Islands who is being heavily pursued by a number of big clubs.

Icardi was born in Argentina, but has spent the past five years in Spain. He also has an Italian passport. I’m guessing his passport picture doesn’t look good. Passport photos always suck.

What doesn’t suck is his ability to score goals. He has collected over 400 goals during the past fives years in Spanish youth soccer. Those numbers are more than enough to catch the attention of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla and presumably every other top flight club in Spain.

“We are talking about a player that could create history if he carries on evolving in the same manner,” Real Madrid’s South American scout, Sixto Alfonso said.

A tall striker with excellent on the ball skills, Icardi has been compared to Gabriel Batistuta. A refreshing change since anyone with Argentine blood who scores goals is inevitably compared to Maradona.

Obviously it will take a number of year before we find out whether Icardi joins the ever growing list of Argentine strikers lighting up the nets in Spain. If he does, remember where you heard about him first. That is “The Offside” with two f’s.

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Category: South America, Spain La Liga, World Football