Matias Arezo – River Plate’s burgeoning striking prodigy
Matias Arezo has always played a few years above his age-group as when he was three years old, he was playing with the Tres de Abril youth side in Paso de la Arena neighbourhood with toddlers two years older than him. At the time, he was living in the Tres Ombues – Pueblo Victoria barrio in Montivideo with his parents, grandparents and three siblings as he developed a love for his close-knit family as he even dreams of moving abroad with his whole family. He would join River Plate at the age of 8 being moved up to the first team at the tender of 15 under Pablo Tiscornia before making his debut under Jorge Fossati at the age of 16. At 17, Arezo is now a certified starter for River Plate in the Uruguayan Primera Division as he has grown accustomed with top-level football and is beginning to become another Uruguayan striking prospect.
As a toddler, his career began at the other end of the pitch as he was a goalkeeper before he conceded four goals and was replaced by his friends. Arezo would cry in his mother’s arms but would soon reinvent himself in other position before becoming one of Uruguay’s most prodigious striking prospects. He has a level head on his shoulders as he has spoken of a desire to only move to a club that promises him first team football as he would rather continue developing at River Plate. He played in the South American U17 tournament which was held in Peru last year as he did not play during the first phase before coming off the bench against Ecuador to score a hat-trick and finishing the tournament as the team’s top scorer.
Uruguay’s 2002 striking generation is becoming quite intriguing as Juan Manuel Gutierrez Freire is a highly touted prospect at Danubio while Alexander Gonzalez is another 18-year-old striker starting for Deportivo Maldonado. Arezo, a few months shy of his 18th birthday is the youngest but looks the most accustomed to playing at professional level, being physically well-built to not just hold off defenders but to also frequently overpower defenders almost a decade older than him. The 17-year-old’s first touch is enchanting while he has the dribbling ability to glide past players to create opportunities for teammates while carving out shooting opportunities for himself.
His youth has been interesting to put into perspective as his strike partner, Juan Manuel Olivera was 21 years older than him as he was constantly tutoring Arezo about which spaces to move into as well as the timing of his runs and movements in between the lines. More recently, in a match against Boston River, their 43-year-old player/coach, Sebastian Abreu was playing up front as he was 26 years older than Arezo who was playing up front on the other end of the pitch. Although, the 17-year-old has been starting for River Plate, he is developing his goal scoring instincts at professional level as he has the ability to make darts behind the opposition’s last defender while also having the aerial ability to score headers. However, due to being in the fledgling stages of his career, he has yet to become a consistent goal scorer at professional level.
“Juan is too important to me. He has supported me since I got to First and I will always be grateful. He corrects me and tells me things he did wrong in the past so that I don't do the same. Today we have a very nice relationship. We get along very well on a day-to-day basis. It's like we've known each other forever. And that makes us understand each other on the pitch as well. He knows how I move, and I know how he does. And all that makes things easier for us on the pitch,” explained Arezo to Ovacion Digital.
In an away match to Danubio, he started the game by dropping into space to receive possession and lay-off to teammates while also receiving the ball in the channels to cut inside and switch the ball to the opposite flank. Arezo then latched on a turnover by the touchline before driving into the box towards the by-line to flick the ball back into the centre for his strike partner to blast the ball over. Early in the second-half, a cross was lobbed into the path of Arezo who had an acrobatic overhead kick saved by the keeper. He then received the ball in between the lines to play the ball into the left channel before making a run to the near post as a cross was played to his teammate in the centre who nodded it into his path for the young striker to have his shot blocked. He then exhibited his Velcro-like first touch when he controlled a lob with his weaker left foot to skip past the keeper before carefully directing the ball into the back of the net with his right foot to score for River Plate.
Arezo earmarked the next game against Uruguayan giants Nacional as an integral game as he started the game by intercepting a lackadaisical back-pass from Matthias Laborda to set his feet and have a shot saved at the near post. He then chested a throw-in to a teammate before receiving the ball to lob a pass to another teammate in the central pockets as when the 17-year-old drops into the pockets of space in between the lines, he can almost seem like a playmaker with his innate sense of time and space as well as his vision for incisive passes. The teenager received a lob in behind on the right flank to take a touch before volleying a shot at the keeper as he was falling down.
Arezo will also need to work on his shot locations as he can drive forward from the deeper areas to drive harmless shots off target from range. His shot power and ability to angle shots into the goal would be better suited within the box as he can receive possession to hold off or dribble opposition defenders to carve out shooting opportunities. He also has the sense for timing and space to work layoffs before driving into the box as if teammates work cut-backs to him, he would have higher quality opportunities to score from.
In the match against Abreu’s Boston River, he let a pass roll across his body, so he could carve out a shot for himself before he latched onto a loose pass as the keeper managed to get the ball quicker than him. The 17-year-old continued to be strong in interchanges with his back to goal while making runs into the box to create opportunities for teammates. Arezo continued to physically overpower defenders, outmuscling them in shoulder to shoulder challenges. However, in the match against Deportivo Maldonado he proved that he needed to improve his anticipation of making runs off the last defender as he was caught offside twice while in another situation, he made a run too early then cut-back as the ball was lofted over his head by Facundo Vigo.
“I don't like to stand still, I like to walk the field. I play 9 because I like to play upstairs, but I'm not one to get stuck in one place. There is also Flaco (Olivera), who helps me play my game. He fulfills the role of 9 more and leaves me free to move,” explained Arezo in an interview with Ovacion Digital from July last year.
Arezo has spoken about how he prefers to drop deep and be involved in play as not only does he have the physical tools to hold off defenders, but he is also a talented dribbler. He will roll the ball under his foot before turning and using a burst of pace to weave past markers in order to create opportunities for teammates. He will also drop deep to receive passes and loft passes into runners making runs off of him as he looks to further develop his game as an all-round striker. The trait that of his that is most applicable to top level football is his first touch and ability to control lobbed passes with his feet to then lay-off to teammates as he could even develop this assist into being a one-touch finisher in the box.
“In my head I think I'm prepared, but later it will be seen, many things can happen before. I hope that if I have to leave it will not be difficult for me to adapt to where I go. I feel prepared in every way. I know that sometimes there are players who leave and then they don't have the opportunity to play. That is clear to me and I have always told my representatives that I do not want to go to a club where I do not play. I already have a place in River Plate and I prefer to stay a thousand times before going to a team, where I cannot play. I am interested in progressing in football more than economically,” said Arezo to Uruguayan news outlet, Ovacion Digital in an interview at the beginning of August.
Arezo has identified the Italian Serie A as the European League that would suit him the most as he believes he could stay at River Plate longer than many in the Uruguayan media expect. He will be a prospect that will be on the shortlists of many elite European clubs as he has already proved himself able to play professionally as in recent games, he seems to have been having fun on the pitch. His goalscoring record will need to improve as he develops his game as he will be the focal point of the Uruguayan youth sides in the near future. Players like him have shown that there is a production line of strikers being honed in Uruguay to continue the exploits of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
