More on Sport as we Meet Jonathan Calleri, the Messi fan who upstaged Tevez on his Boca return...

The 21-year-old Argentine attacker, Jonathan Caller hit the headlines with a remarkable 'rabona' in the 2-1 win over Quilmes and has his sights set on the national team

It was supposed to be all about Carlos Tevez. The 'Apache' was back at Boca Juniors and treated to a hero's welcome at the Bombonera for his much-anticipated return. But instead, it was another man who stole the limelight.

Jonathan Calleri started in attack alongside Sebastian Palacios in the game against Quilmes on Saturday, with Tevez in a slightly deeper role. And after Palacios gave the home side the lead, Calleri tried to set up the homecoming forward for a second in a breakaway attack.

However, his pass hit a defender instead and when the ball came back to him, the striker combined innovation, inspiration and improvisation to lob goalkeeper Walter Benitez with a remarkable rabona. It turned out to be the winner in a 2-1 victory and announced his arrival as a major talent as the images went viral all around the world.

"When the move started, I thought about shooting or passing to Tevez," he said afterwards. "I opted for the pass, but it was a bad one and so, as I don't have a left foot, I tried to chip it in with a rabona. I didn't think about it at the time, it was a question of seconds. When it went in, I couldn't believe it."

Calleri grew up in a humble family in the neighbourhood of Floresta in Buenos Aires and aspired to become an icon for local club All Boys like his idol Pablo Solchaga, a journeyman striker who scored 95 goals for the Blanquinegro.

A fiery forward, the 21-year-old's progress was halted by a six-month suspension at the age of 15 for blasting the ball at a referee in a youth fixture. But his father and his uncle convinced him to pursue his dream and after scoring five goals in 28 appearances for All Boys between 2012 and 2014, Boca came calling.



The move made few waves at the time and the Xeneize paid the relatively modest fee of $300,000 to sign the striker. Now in his second season at the club, however, he has moved ahead of the more high-profile Daniel Osvaldo in the pecking order at the Bombonera and his stunning strike on Saturday has been described as the best in an Argentine league match in the last 20 years - or since the days of Diego Armando Maradona.

Maradona was watching his beloved Boca from the stands on Saturday and was still celebrating Calleri's goal minutes afterwards. El Diego had come to welcome Tevez back, but ended up saluting another attacking talent.

Calleri, who was playing the second half despite a small fracture to his nose which he revealed gave him trouble breathing, is wanted by Palermo but says he is happy to stay at Boca and learn from Tevez and Fernando Gago.

"My desire is to stay here," he said. "I am going to stay at Boca. I can only get better alongside Tevez and Gago."

Indeed, the youngster is in the plans of Argentina coach Gerardo Martino already (along with Paulo Dybala, Mauro Icardi and Luciano Vietto), with Tata looking to select the Boca forward for next year's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and perhaps as part of the full national team as well.


GOAL




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