10 Home-Based Argentinians Who Are Set for Big Things

Every year, it seems like hundreds of Argentinian football prospects leave their native land for Europe and elsewhere. Almost every top team across the Atlantic can count on the talents of at least one star, while players such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Angel Di Maria are widely considered among the world's elite. 

What is incredible then, is that the next generation of promises is already in action and raring to emulate those before them. From aspiring Messis to possible replacements for Di Maria and Javier Mascherano, here are 10 of the best youngsters currently playing in the local leagues. 

One unexpected but entirely positive consequence of Buenos Aires giants River Plate and Independiente spending time in the second-tier B Nacional over the past few years has been an increased exposure for the lower leagues. The clubs playing for promotion and the unearthed gems they possess in their squads are now getting more attention than ever. 

Huracan playmaker Gonzalo "Pity" Martinez is a prime example. The 21-year-old has never played higher than the second tier, but his performances at that level, as well as in the Globo's march to this year's Copa Argentina title, have turned a lot of heads. 

Martinez is a natural dribbler, and he loves boring in from the wing and dragging the defence with him. At his age, a career in the Primera, either with Huracan or a top Argentinian club, surely beckons, and from there, it should just be a matter of time before a side from abroad comes knocking. 

In the land of the silky playmaker and the on-fire striker, defenders do not always get the press they deserve. Racing Club's Yonathan Cabral, however, is one young centre-back that has come on leaps and bounds over the past year. 

The 22-year-old has formed a formidable partnership in the middle with Luciano Lollo, while Racing have extended their run to over 500 minutes without conceding a goal. That form has put La Academia two points clear with just one game to play, raising hopes of a first title in 13 years. 

The younger brother of Celta Vigo's Gustavo has not made many headlines during this successful season, but Cabral is improving steadily as a presence in the centre of defence. Already strong in the air, he has learned to feel more comfortable on the ball and time his interventions better, and he looks set to be a fixture in the Racing team for a few years to come. 

At the very start of his career, Hector Villalba has nevertheless experienced incredible things for a player of such a tender age. Just one year after debuting in San Lorenzo, the forward was doing the lap of honour in 2013, having lifted the final championship, and in August 2014, the ultimate prize of the Copa Libertadores also came to Bajo Flores. 

Villalba may not have been one of the key pieces of that glorious run, but the 20-year-old more than played his part in the Cuervo's success and is one of the club's most prized youngsters. 

An explosive forward in the vein of Aguero or Carlos Tevez, the Buenos Aires native just needs to add a few more goals to his repertoire, with a slightly cooler head in front of the net required. But all of the raw materials are there for the kid to go a long way in Argentinian football and in Europe. 

In a country as large as Argentina, geographical considerations can affect even the local football scene. It is easy for the next top talents in Boca and River—or even other Buenos Aires clubs—to gain the spotlight from the capital's media. 

But wonderkids outside Greater Buenos Aires have to work that little bit harder for their exposure. Even so, at the rate Lucas Zelarayan is developing, it should not be long before the Belgrano player is a household name outside of his native Cordoba. 

The 22-year-old has succeeded previous Pirata star Franco Vazquez in the No. 10 shirt, and he forms a potent partnership in the final third with veteran goal-getter Cesar Pereyra. Zelarayan looks supremely confident with the ball at his feet.

With a surname like that, it was perhaps inevitable that Mauricio Tevez would follow in the footsteps of his more famous namesake Carlos (no relation). But the gods of football are known for their love of irony; the 18-year-old's debut goal came against none other than the Apache's idols Boca, and it was one to remember. 

Tevez built on that dream start to his professional career to establish himself as a key impact player, coming off the bench to hurt teams upfront and continuing his education alongside a veteran talent like Maxi Rodriguez in Newell's. He and the younger Ezequiel Ponce represent a brilliant future in attack for the Rosario club, if indeed they can hold on to the two budding stars. 

While River's twin assault on the Transicion and Copa Sudamericana trophies has been punishing for the slim squad's legs, there has been one upside. Coach Marcelo Gallardo has not been afraid to throw in his youth-team prospects when fatigue threatens, meaning the likes of Tomas Martinez have seen plenty of time on the pitch. 

The stylish playmaker, 19, has been used widely as a rotation player in the current season. He reminds watchers of a young Erik Lamela; while a little more physicality would be welcome, his distribution and creativity mark him out as something special for the Millonarios. 

While Argentinian football is principally renowned for the sheer quality of its attacking stars, the nation's future in the middle of the pitch also looks solid. Joaquin Correa and Matias Kranevitter stand out as brilliant prospect in the key No. 5, or pivot position; but Velez Sarsfield starlet Lucas Romero is not far behind. 

The creative midfielder combines plenty of bite and mobility with an exquisite touch on the ball, which makes him a force to be reckoned with in midfield. Romero, 20, has benefited greatly from a Velez administration that is not afraid to blood youth stars, and he is already closing on 100 appearances for El Fortin. 

The youngster was all but set for a European voyage last August before eventually staying in Argentina, per Argentinian paper Clarin, and Velez may have to resign themselves to losing Romero this time around as he prepares for a hopefully sparkling future in the game. 

When it comes to replacing a legend, there are few bigger than Juan Sebastian Veron at Estudiantes. It is a testament to 20-year-old Joaquin Correa's ability, then, that not only has the youngster filled La Bruja's place admirably in the Pincha midfield but that a future just as bright as his idol's could be in the cards. 

Correa, who was born in Tucuman but spent part of his footballing infancy in Rosario's Renato Cesarini youth team, alma mater of Mascherano, has raced to over 60 games in La Plata after debuting in 2012. He was linked to Inter in that same year, per Argentinian outlet La Gaceta, but the word of Veron convinced his successor to stay on and make his name first in Argentina.

Estudiantes will have another fight this January to keep their hottest talent at bay, after Correa once more shined for the La Plata giants over the course of 2014.  

Despite a total experience of two league games, Leonardo Suarez is already tipped to make a big impression in world football. So much so that in 2015, the diminutive forward looks almost certain to pursue his career away from the Bombonera. 

Goal Argentina (in Spanish) reports that due to Boca's delay in renewing the 18-year-old wonderkid's contract, a move to a Spanish club is on the cards in the next transfer window. Villarreal, having enjoyed so much the budding talents of Luciano Vietto this season, have emerged as prime candidates to land another potential Argentinian superstar. 

It would be a great shame should Suarez emigrate without at least a full season under his belt. Some virtuoso performances for Argentina at the under-17 level have marked the teenager out as a rare talent that has already attracted comparisons with Messi. 

If not for a cruel twist of fate, Kranevitter and River would almost certainly be celebrating two brilliant title triumphs this December. The Millonarios looked unstoppable early in the season when the young Tucuman native was directing traffic in the middle, and it was his foot injury that knocked the club off course in the Primera Division. 

Kranevitter will be back with a vengeance in the new year, and his tough tackling combined with excellent distribution make him an undisputed choice even at just 21. Indeed, some spectacular form over 2014 has led many to mark him out as the successor to Mascherano in the Argentina engine room. 

With a Copa Libertadores campaign and the incentive of a late run into the Copa America squad on the line, Kranevitter has every chance of making the coming year even more impressive than the last.