Although Spanish football is often portrayed as a calm, relaxing game which focuses on the technical aspect of the sport, there are naturally some players in La Liga who do not fall into that category. Pepe of Real Madrid springs to mind. And although Mateo Musacchio is composed when in position, there is a delicious sense of urgency and bite about the Villarreal centre-back, and it’s led to interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona, but what else can he offer?
The 23-year-old now has over 100 appearances under his belt for the Yellow Submarines after progressing from the youth side. He originally arrived in Spain from Argentine outfit River Plate, who he played 10 league games for.
The defender has made two full caps for Argentina, which is probably where his determined style comes from, and is flourishing into one of the most exciting centre-backs in Europe.
The way he is able to scramble the opposition off the ball before bursting up the pitch or laying it off is brilliant to watch and he is willing to get hurt for the cause.
You know full well that when he goes into the challenge he will either come out with the ball or half of the defender and he is a committed tackler. So far this season he has won the ball from 27/38 tackles and has a pass accuracy of 80%.
He averages 12 defensive actions per game and is already showing leadership qualities from the back. The clip below will show you a bit more of the player.