Claudio Echeverri's Journey: From River Plate to Girona

Claudio Echeverri’s European education has not followed the glossy brochure.

Signed by Manchester City from River Plate in 2025 as one of South America’s most exciting young attackers, the Argentinian arrived in England staring at a dressing room stacked with world-class talent and a team struggling to find rhythm. It was never going to be gentle. It wasn’t.

He featured just three times for City, but even in that brief window he found a stage big enough to leave a mark. Thrown into an FA Cup final, he tasted defeat to Crystal Palace. On another continent, in another competition, he produced the moment that still follows his name around the Etihad.

At the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, Echeverri stood over a free-kick against Al Ain and bent it from 20 yards, the ball kissing the underside of the bar on its way in during a 6-0 win. One strike, one goal, a flash of why City moved for him in the first place.

Then reality bit. City’s attacking options thickened again, minutes dried up, and the club decided he needed a loan. The plan inside the City Football Group was simple: send him to Girona, a trusted environment, a familiar style, a pathway others had already walked.

His camp chose another route.

A detour that stalled in Germany

Bayer Leverkusen won the race for his signature on loan, a move that on paper looked ideal for a young, technical No 10. The Bundesliga has built a reputation as a finishing school for South American talents. For Echeverri, it became a holding pattern.

Across the first half of the 2025/26 season he played just 270 minutes in 11 appearances. He watched more than he played. In 13 league games for which he was available, he sat as an unused substitute seven times. The rhythm he needed never arrived, the trust of the manager never truly followed.

Kasper Hjulmand, Leverkusen’s head coach, saw the stalemate and acted. Working with Manchester City, he agreed to cut the loan short. By January, Echeverri was out of Germany and back within the City Football Group, this time finally landing where City had wanted him in the first place: Girona.

Girona: minutes, confidence, and a glimpse of the real Echeverri

Spain suited him. So did the club.

At Girona, Echeverri found what had eluded him at Leverkusen: continuity. He made 17 La Liga appearances, scoring once and providing one assist. Both contributions came in the same game, a standout display against Athletic Club in March that hinted at a player starting to feel comfortable again.

The numbers are modest, but the trend matters more than the totals. His minutes climbed, his involvement sharpened, and with that came confidence. The raw talent that had been parked on a Bundesliga bench began to re-emerge in Catalonia.

City wanted him tested in Europe. Girona gave him that, but with the ball at his feet rather than a bib on his shoulders.

Monza circle as City weigh the next step

That uptick has not gone unnoticed. According to reports in Italy, AC Monza sporting director Nicolas Burdisso has gone public with his desire to bring Echeverri to the club next season. It is not just a quiet enquiry; Monza are “keeping their eyes peeled” on the 20-year-old, and another loan is firmly on the table.

For City, the equation is complicated. Echeverri is finally stringing together games, finally feeling the speed and strain of top-level European football. Pulling him back into a crowded squad at the Etihad risks stalling that momentum again. Leaving him out on loan, though, means accepting that his development – and perhaps his future value – will be shaped elsewhere for another year.

From River Plate to Manchester, from a Club World Cup free-kick to a false start in Germany and a revival in Girona, Echeverri’s path has already twisted more than most at his age. Now Monza are trying to write the next chapter.

If City get this decision right, the player they thought they were signing in 2025 might finally step through the door. If they get it wrong, Europe will happily take him off their hands and let him grow into that talent somewhere else.