Lautaro Pereira

Lautaro Pereyra made his mark on River Plate's academy before he made it into the first-team dressing room. He came off the bench that day and helped River to a 3-0 win.

The step up did not stop there. A few weeks later he scored his first goal as a professional in a Copa Sudamericana draw away to Red Bull Bragantino. The contract that followed told its own story: River tied him down until the end of 2028 and attached a release clause of €100 million.

Pereyra's path through the youth national teams followed the same pattern of early promise. He was capped by Argentina's under-15 side, scoring against Chile, before moving up to the under-17s. None of it yet amounts to senior recognition, and he remains without a title at club or international level.