Éder Álvarez Balanta

Date of Birth	Nationality	Current Club	Position	Strengths		Weaknesses	Transfer Rumours	Market Value	Similar Players
				Physical	Technical + Mental
28/2/1993	Colombia	River Plate	CB/LB	Pace, Strength, Stamina, Aerial	Heading, Tackling, Composure, Passing, Marking, Anticipation	Experience	Barca, Inter, Juve, AC Milan, Udinese, Monaco	£15-20m	-

Eder Alvarez Balanta is a 20-year-old Colombian Center Back who plays for River Plate in the Primera Division. He is being touted as one of the most promising defenders in the South American continent. This praise does not come lightly. He is a fantastic talent. I have decided to delve deeper into the defender following a fantastic performance in last night’s Superclásico against Boca. First things first, Eder is an exceptional talent. I have not seen many defenders like him.

He was born in Bogota, Colombia and started his football career in Colombia playing for La Equidad and Academia. It was his performances there that attracted the River scouts to give him an opportunity to come to Argentina to test his talents in 2011. During his youth in Colombia he played in the midfield, both in an attacking and defensive role, however when he first arrived at River, he was tried as a left back due to the number of players they had in the roles he was more familiar with. Following his successful trial at River he was placed in their youth team and became a regular starter for them and a key member of the team that won the 2012 U-20 Copa Libertadores. He had been training with the senior team during this time, however, following his performances with the youth team he was called up to the senior team in the early part of 2013. He was given his first opportunity to play for the First team on the 7^th of April away against Racing Club. He had an exceptional match and garnered several praise by everyone.  During the game he displayed great maturity and confidence to play for the senior team and did not fail to impress his manager. He then played the next 5 games for River and did not suffer a defeat in either of the games. His first goal for the club was just two matches after his debut against Godoy Cruz in a 2-1 victory. He followed that up with another goal against Quilmes. The next match he played was the Superclásico against Boca. This is where I was extremely impressed. The Superclásico is arguably biggest game in the league, with both River and Boca being such big names in football. During the match he was a standout performer and was my man of the match. He was effective in preventing Boca’s attacks with many opportunities and he was very resolute in defence. His next match against All Boys ended after 55 minutes where he sustained an injury and was out for around 3 weeks. However, following his return he immediately came back into the first team. In the 9 games he played at the back end of last season (Torneo Final) he claimed 5 man of the match awards. That alone demonstrates the great skill Eder possesses. Being able to come into a team midway through the season and perform to the level that he did is exceptional. Following these performances, River tied him down to a new contract with a release clause of around £20m. During the summer there was a lot of interest from Inter and AC Milan, however he remained at River for this season to continue his development.

Eder is an extremely confident and composed player and does not show immaturity when playing games. He is a focused player and learns through every game in which he takes part. I am going to begin with his only real weakness – that is his inexperience playing at the highest level. However, I have nothing to say regarding this as with more matches he will learn and therefore it is not much of a concern. I am not sure where to begin with his several qualities. Eder is extremely confident on the ball. He is quick and strong, which is a great asset for a defender. This means he can keep up with the fastest attackers, such as Walcott and Aubameyang as well as competing physically with strikers such as Zlatan and Drogba. His strength is a great asset for him when it comes to tackling. He has great timing with his tackles and knows when to challenge the attacker to win the ball and when to avoid challenges to give away needless fouls. He also reads the game extremely well, and has great anticipation in defence. Combining both his anticipation and pace, we can see him reach to balls before the attackers and make well timed interceptions to retain possession for the team. Another attribute that is found in him is his ability to pass the ball. As he is an extremely confident player, this can be seen when he plays both on and off the ball. Having played in a midfield role during his youth, his passing skill is displayed extremely well when playing as a defender. He doesn’t like to perform ‘no-nonsense clearances’ as we see with most defenders. He prefers retaining possession of the ball and passing the ball to his teammates knowing very well that it would reach them without putting them in a tricky situation. Balanta is not the tallest of defenders (1.81m) compared to other prominent defenders, however he is still got the aerial ability of someone like David Luiz (1.89m). This is partly due to his strength and great physicality.  Due to his strong legs he is able to jump high for a ball without it causing many problems. This ability helps him both in defence and attack as can be seen with the goals he has scored. Finally, his marking and positioning is another great aspect of his game. He knows where to position himself both when the team is on the ball and when the opposition has the ball. This allows him to either make interceptions or time his tackles well, as well as providing support for his team if they need an extra man on the ball.

In regards to his National Team performances, he has none. Eder attracted the attention of the Colombian Federation in May while playing for River and was called up for the U-20 World Cup in Turkey. However, due to injuries and the fact that he hadn’t signed a professional contact, River said that they would not allow him to take part in the U-20 World Cup. That being said, his manager Ramon Diaz has said that now he has signed his professional contract with the club, that he should be considered for the Colombian first team.

All in all, Eder Alvarez Balanta is an exceptional talent and one of a kind. Therefore I have not likened him to any other player. Many have mentioned the Brazilians Thiago Silva and David Luiz and some have even talked about Cruzeiro defender Dede. I also see a lot of similarities with him and Doria, as both of them are left footed. However, I would not like to speculate, as this kid is a gem and will definitely be a world beater soon.