Future Stars – Paraguayan Gem Sergio Díaz
Posted on 05th July 2016
Last year the new gem of South American football, Sergio Díaz, had an oustanding U20 South American Championship. The then 16-year-old was already well known to European scouts but his performance prompted Liverpool and Manchester United to make inquiries about his availability with Cerro Porteño president Juan José Zapag.
Zapag made it clear that Sergio Díaz would stay for at least another two years with Cerro despite interest from several European clubs. Fast forward 18 months and Sergio Díaz has joined Real Madrid for a reported fee of €5M plus a further €1M in performance related add-ons.
Los Blancos had been following him since he made his debut for Cerro as a 15-year-old and they moved quickly to secure his services fending off interest from Roma.
Having debuted at the same age as Sergio Agüero it was inevitable that comparisons have been made. His style of play has also been likened to the Manchester City striker.
One of Cerro’s youth coaches, Diego Gavilán, is also quick to make the comparison: “He has a resemblance to Kun Agüero. He’s strong, technical and whose main objective is to find the goal. With us (U15s), he scored 33 goals in less than six months, things that no player has done before (with Cerro).”
Díaz likes the comparison and said: “I have the characteristics of Kun Agüero, with my speed and goals. I’m just a kid, but when I play I feel comfortable.”
Even though he has been a regular for Cerro since 2014, Díaz is still developing and needs to improve his body strength. This is more than likely why Madrid have decided to send him to their B team, Real Madrid Castilla.
Also the club would have taken into consideration that his favored role is behind the striker, but that position doesn’t currently exist because Zinedine Zidane favours a 4-3-3 formation.
At Castilla he will be away from the limelight and will be able to continue his development before being loaned out to gain further experience with another team.
Whether we see him playing for Real Madrid in the near future is another story. He could very well continue his rapid development and live up to the nickname of “the new Kun” and be South America’s next big thing. Alternatively his development may stagnate like other wonderkids before him.
