Ángel Correa

Ángel Correa made his name at San Lorenzo, where he made his debut in 2013 and became part of the side that won the 2014 Copa Libertadores as well as the 2013 Argentine Primera División Inicial. That form took him to Atlético Madrid, who signed him in December 2014 for a fee of around €7.5 million, though the move was delayed by six months while he underwent heart surgery.

At Atlético Madrid, Correa built a decade-long career built on consistency rather than a single defining transfer. He reached the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2015–16, then added the UEFA Europa League in 2017–18 and the UEFA Super Cup that same year. The title he had waited longest for arrived in the 2020–21 season, when Atlético were crowned champions of La Liga. His form in January 2022 earned him the league's Player of the Month award.

With Argentina, Correa's path to a World Cup medal came mostly from the margins of the squad. He was named in the 26-man group for Qatar 2022 and made a single appearance, coming on as a substitute in the semi-final against Croatia, as the team went on to win the tournament. He had already collected continental honours with the junior and senior sides alike: the South American U-20 Championship in 2015, where he was voted the tournament's best player, and the Copa América with the senior team in 2021. At full international level, he has earned 28 caps and scored three goals.