Santiago López Gróbin

Current Club: Club Atlético Independiente  

Date of Birth/Age/Place: 09/02/2006 (18) Córdoba, Argentina 

Career: Club Atlético Independiente  

Position: Winger

Height: 1.70 m  

Santiago López was one of the revelations of the U-17 World Cup held in Indonesia, representing his national team.

He played in the Reserve team of Club Atlético Independiente and is currently part of the professional team. He is a right-footed winger who usually plays on the right flank, sometimes on the left, and can also play as a forward. In the World Cup, he played five matches (four as a starter), scored two goals, and provided one assist.

Santiago is a player with great skill in 1v1 situations, starting from the wing and breaking towards the byline. It’s worth noting that once he successfully dribbles past his opponent, he executes his decision-making with precision in the final meters, delivering crosses both to the penalty spot and the near post.

When the game requires a pass or a one-two instead of a dribble, he can seamlessly link up with the full-back on his side or an inside midfielder who moves into that area. He has a great understanding of the game. He can appear in the inside channel in the attacking third, leaving the wing free for the full-back and attacking the area from inside positions.

When the team has possession, he often positions himself almost in his own half (according to FIFA's official website, he had the most receptions between the midfield and defensive line in the last U-17 World Cup with 86) to receive the ball behind the opposing winger or midfielder on that flank. This way, he can face the opposing full-back without quick help.

He can take advantage of this situation by seeking the 1v1 or passing the ball back and quickly moving into space, thanks to the central forward (in that tournament, Agustín Ruberto) fixing the center-back in that zone. He shows good ball control in every game intervention.

He turns easily when he receives the ball, usually positioning himself to seek a duel against his rival. Playing as a central forward, he demonstrated good positioning in defense-to-attack transitions, seeking space between center-backs, and even within the area, he has a great sense of positioning both to attack a cross to the near post in the six-yard box and to wait for a cross to the far post, further away from the play.

Off the ball, he is an aggressive and committed player, helping the full-back or pressing forward. This off-the-ball commitment sometimes works against him due to his strong temperament. Evidence of this includes the yellow cards received against Venezuela and Brazil. In both matches, his team had the game under control and the scoreline was quite favorable.

Quiroga Nicolas