Matias Kranevitter

Claudio Matías Kranevitter is an Argentine professional footballer who currently plays for Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg. Matias was born on 21 May 1993 in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.

He plays a defensive midfielder and is often compared to his Argentine teammate Javier Mascherano for his style of play. Kranevitter is a player who is capable of holding the midfield together and helps the attackers by setting the tempo of his team.

He also provides support for his fullbacks by providing them with cover. Kranevitter is also good with tackles, and provides good defensive cover.

Background

Matias first started playing football in his hometown, playing for the local youth club of San Miguel de Tucumán.

He was not able to continue there because of poor financial conditions, but he impressed in his trial at River Plate and was taken into the team at the age of 14. After playing for a while for the reserves and the U20 team, Kranevitter soon received his full team debut and became a regular starter from then on.

Kranevitter has represented the following teams - Argentina U20, Argentina, San Miguel de Tucumán, River Plate, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, and Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Debut

Kranevitter made his professional club debut for River Plate on 2 December 2012, coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 victory against Lanus.

On 4 September 2015, Kranevitter made his full international debut against Bolivia in an emphatic 7-0 victory for the Albicelestes.

Rise to Glory

Being a River Plate youth product just like Barcelona great Javier Mascherano, Kranevitter was considered to be a hard-working lad who had mountains of potential. He rose through to the first team in no time and attracted the attention of La Liga giants Atletico Madrid. He was purchased, but rarely saw first team action and was loaned to Sevilla where his real potential was seen.

Kranevitter represented the Argentina U20 team in the 2013 South American Youth Football Championship and then eyed a place in the senior team. He was called up to the senior squad in 2015 for two friendlies against Bolivia and Mexico in place of Lucas Biglia.

Matias’s performances were noteworthy and soon received a place in the 2016 Copa America squad. He received a chance to play in the final, but only as a substitute. Argentina lost another final in as many years to Chile 4-2 on penalties.

So far, Kranevitter has made 9 appearances for the Albicelestes - 3 friendlies, 3 World Cup qualification matches, and 3 in the Copa America. He provided one assist in a friendly.

Club Career

Having made his debut for River Plate at just the age of 16, Kranevitter was braced for better things. He made 58 appearances for his first club, and won a total of four trophies during his time at the club including the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. He won the league with them in 2014.

In 2015, Kranevitter agreed terms with Atletico Madrid and was purchased for a rumoured fee of 8 million euros. He made his debut for them 14 February 2016, coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 win against Getafe CF. Atletico manager Diego Simeone did not see Kranevitter as a starter, and he was loaned to fellow club Sevilla. He had made 11 appearances in all competitions for Atletico Madrid.

At Sevilla, Kranevitter became a starter and had racked up 32 appearances in all competitions, including 21 in the league. He was sold to Zenit Saint Petersburg in the next season and he currently has a contract with them until June 2021. He has made 24 appearances in all competitions so far, and has provided one assist in the league.