Early moves to Europe complicate renewal of Argentina's national team

Argentina’s footballers are moving to Europe at ever younger ages – a risky gamble for the players but also for the much-vaunted renewal of the World Cup winning national team.

In a World Cup year that will see the national team bid farewell to several heroes of the Qatar 2022 campaign – starting with Lionel Messi – the early departure of Albiceleste prospects to Europe has become an irresistible economic temptation for youth clubs and families alike.

For many players, however, such steps can lead to an early shipwreck of their careers – a trend laid bare at the close of Europe’s main transfer windows on Monday, when no compatriot of Diego Maradona stole the spotlight.

According to FIFA’s 2025 Global Transfer Report, published last Wednesday, Argentina was the world’s second-largest football talent exporter with 1,207 transfers, behind Brazil (2,326).

Despite the volume of trading – and the fact that three out of four youth players leave with resale clauses to ensure a future cut of profits – the country does not rank among the top five earners from transfers. That's a sign that Argentine clubs are failing to properly capitalise on the talent they produce.

The most emblematic examples are Messi, who signed for FC Barcelona aged just 13, and a host of other Albiceleste gems who also triumphed in Europe – such as Esteban Cambiasso (transferred at 15), Sergio Agüero (age 18) and Ángel Di María (age 19). This has encouraged clubs in Europe to snap up players from Argentina’s clubs at increasingly young ages.

Below are some recent cases of young talents who have yet to deliver after emigrating prematurely to Europe – a phenomenon that threatens the renewal of Argentina’s national side, less than five months before the North America World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Valentín Barco
At 19, still playing his way into Boca Juniors side, the left-sided full back moved in 2024 seeking playing time in the English Premier League with Brighton, who bought him for around 13 million euros. The Seagulls later loaned him to Sevilla, where he failed to get a chance. Despite losing market value, in July 2025 he joined Strasbourg on loan, where he has shown his quality after being converted into a central midfielder.

Claudio Echeverri
In January 2024, Manchester City paid River Plate around 18 million euros for the then 18-year-old winger. He played just 64 minutes for the English club before being loaned to Bayer Leverkusen, where he failed to break into the side, and then to Girona, which is also part of the City Group. Both River and ‘El Diablito’ have expressed interest in a potential loan return to the Buenos Aires side, but part of the fanbase remains hostile after his troubled departure.

Facundo Buonanotte
Towards the end of 2022, Brighton invested 11 million euros in the midfielder, who was shining at Rosario Central at 18. After his first season in Europe, he was loaned to Leicester, where a solid campaign caught Chelsea’s attention. He arrived at the London club without a purchase option and played just eight matches, prompting an early termination of the deal before another spell on loan at Leeds.

Adolfo Gaich
With just eight goals in the domestic top flight, the San Lorenzo striker was signed in 2020 by CSKA Moscow for more than nine million euros. But he never established himself there and went on to rack up seven loan spells at smaller clubs in Russia, Turkey, Italy and Spain. A journeyman at just 26, the once-promising striker terminated his contract in Russia and has returned to local shores with Estudiantes de La Plata this season. His current value is 800,000 euros, according to the Transfermarkt website.

Alejo Véliz
A product of Rosario Central’s academy, Véliz became the most expensive sale in the club’s history in 2023 when Tottenham paid 15 million euros for him. In England he played just eight matches before being loaned to Sevilla and then Espanyol. At 22, he gave up on his European dream and returned to the Rosario club. He is still under contract with Spurs until 2029, but his valuation has now slumped to 3.5 million euros.

Darío Sarmiento
He made his debut for Estudiantes de La Plata at 16 and was transferred to Manchester City in 2021 for 5.5 million euros. After getting lost in the City Group multiverse with loans to Girona and Montevideo City, the right winger returned to local football – first with Tigre, and this season with Colón de Santa Fe. His valuation stands at 400,000 euros.

Franco Mastantuono
In August 2025, aged just 18, the River Plate academy product joined Real Madrid for 45 million euros – the most expensive sale in the history of Argentine football. The pressure of that label fuelled expectations around Mastantuono’s performances and patience has been lacking – Real fan, who booed him for the first time on Sunday after several subdued displays. Tipped to play a leading role for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, Mastantuono has already felt the weight of the popular saying: “Real Madrid waits for no-one.”