Name: Mateo Retegui
Age: 23 Years Old
Position: Striker
Nationality: Argentine
Club: Tigre (On loan from Boca Juniors)
Season 2022 Key Statistics
Games Played: 26
Goals: 19 (6 penalties scored from 6)
Assists: 3
Overview
I had done a little write up of Retegui before on a fan site of the team I support that I like to frequent after his name had appeared on a few forums and his highlights were popping up on Youtube channels I follow for emerging talent. I must admit having been given footage of him over the past 3 years I was hesitant on my thoughts about him having watched the first 2 seasons. Then I got to the 2022 season and his stats instantly jump out, massive improvements in most areas.
This young powerhouse of a striker has lit up the Argentine league this year and sat atop of the scoring charts with 17 goals in 25 games. Tigre have an option to buy at around $2.5mil and there are mixed reports on whether or not they can come up with the funds.
I would be honest and say initially I had mixed feelings on what I thought of Retegui as his previous seasons seen him play ok but look less than convincing when in on goal and maybe a touch naive.
This year he seems to have found a relationship with Colidio (loan from Inter Milan) and things have just clicked. I think having those partnerships are vital for some players and I so I wondered if Retegui could replicate his current form outside of the setup he plays within at Tigre.
That being said he carries a lot of weapons. He has a really strong upper body and powers in headers towards goal from crosses that look like they would be difficult to get on target with a subtle flick, he manages to add power to those which is a real skill that many young strikers lack.
He hits thunderous shots with both feet and that's shown in his mix of goals with 8 off his right foot, 5 off the left foot and 4 headers. It could be said that he needs to work on his conversion rate in areas where he has a clear sight of goal as from what I've seen his 19 goals could easily be 25+, but again that can be a criticism and also compliment as I like that he keeps firing shots off when the chance presents itself and doesn't let his misses change his attitude. Most strikers who go on to become prolific have that slightly selfish streak in them and this season he has shown that.
His passing is ok, needs a little bit of polish but he takes the ball in relatively well and uses the strength and pace that he has to good effect and again that is something that you would hope a good coach and playing with better players would only enhance his skill set.
Some good examples of what he offers were found in 2 very different games. The first of which was against his parent club Boca Juniors at La Bombonera where Tigre lost 5-3. The second in a 3-1 win over Rosario Central at the Estadio Jose Dellagiovanna.
Boca Juniors vs Tigre
Boca had deservedly gone ahead and were 3-1 up with Exequiel Zeballos running the show for them. Retegui had found himself a little isolated as the lone striker in a 4231 that Tigre were operating but he had continually offered them an out ball when had gained possession back from Boca and his passing and link play was solid.
Then with 25mins to go Tigre made the most of a corner to the back post, which was then headed back to Colidio at the front post and into the middle where Retegui was fastest off the mark to nod home from 4 yards out. Boca then quickly re-established domination with goals from Zeballos and Benedetto to make it 5-2 and game over, but not for Retegui.
This game was one where a lesser player gives up, especially when they are being dominated by their parent club. Retegui had other ideas and never stopped offering himself as an option and when a ball was played down the left side with a minute or two to go, he hounded the defender like your cable company does to you when you tell them you are leaving. It was so much that the defender got lazy and went down claiming for a foul which was given, and then over-turned by VAR. The defender had grabbed and pulled Retegui as he lazily fell to the ground and conned the referee, luckily VAR was in the house and the ref controlling it wasn't asleep at the wheel. Penalty to Tigre. Up steps the man himself, Boca fans howling at him to miss..... no chance, a few steps and he'd buried it with his right foot high into the net.
La Bombonera has scared a great many players in its time, and players who play against their parent clubs often tend to disappear if things aren't going well. This was a big test of Retegui and although he suffered defeat, he more than demonstrated his talents and mental strength from the first minute to the last.
Tigre vs Rosario Central
Tigre were strong favourites for this clash against a Rosario team who weren't really showing themselves to be an attacking threat and 1 min it in that favourite tag was shown to be good value. Tigre playing a ball down the right with Retegui drifting into a nice space that allowed him to make his run in-between fullback and central defender. He was quick to lift his head and slide a lovely ball clean across the 6 yard box that gave 2 Tigre attackers a chance to score and Alexis Castro obliged at the back post.
Rosario actually found their way back in to make it 1-1 after around 15 minutes, but it was a game where you could see that Tigre never looked overly concerned.
30 minutes on the clock another ball down the side of the defender on the right side had Retegui in a 1 vs 1 situation. He put his foot on the gas and looks like he is going to fire across goal, but just as the defender had committed to get his body in for the block, we are all stopped and asked for our boarding pass as the showboat is about to leave and no one told the poor Rosario defenders. Retegui produces a lovely chop, taking the ball with his right foot, bringing it behind his left and then he cuts inside the defender and hits what appears to be a trademark thunder bolt of a shot off the inside of the near post.
The game actually then became a bit of a contest, but as much as Rosario tried, that feeling just wasn't there for me and in the 58th minute it was 3-1. Some lovely play between Retegui and Colidio ended up with a right footed shot from Colidio from 20 yards, goalkeeper parries it down to his righthand side.... Here comes the thunder again, Retegui had followed the shot in and showed great instincts to power another left footed shot under the goalkeeper to finish off the scoring for the day. 3-1 Tigre.
This game for me demonstrated that Retegui has the ability to know when to test defenders and take them into areas where choices have to be made quickly and he got his rewards for putting the defenders to the test because when they hesitated, he was celebrating his assist and then his goals. All in a great day of work from this young hitman.
In the end I'd watched about 3 or 4 hours of Mateo Retegui highlights and the 2 games above. I went from a sceptic to a big fan fairly quickly. I like his power and his willingness to pull the trigger when he gets a sight of goal. I also feel that he shows enough in game intelligence to suggest that he's got more to come whether that be at Tigre, Boca or a leap into another league on another continent. His on-field relationship and link up play with Colidio was another real positive from what I watched.
He does have areas to improve on, but his leap from last season to this is a positive sign that he will put in the work to ensure that some of those chances that he missed, maybe due to being a little over eager with his shooting are tucked away.
If the value to purchase him from Boca was in the ballpark of what Tigre had in place as an option (Around $2.5mil) then for me this young striker would be well worth consideration for clubs who are looking to get in young players with potential at a good price, with the hope that this season isn't just a one off, but actually the start of Retegui becoming something quite special.
I look forward to seeing what becomes of this young hitman.
Thanks for reading
R
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