Player Focus: Vietto's Villarreal Form Attracting Attention of the Biggest and Best

As breakout seasons go, Luciano Vietto’s 2014/15 campaign has been pretty spectacular. There was little media noise as the young Argentine forward joined Villarreal last summer, but there is now huge interest in what the fast emerging star is going to do next.

Vietto’s latest clinical finish, against Celta Vigo on Sunday, means the 21-year-old already has 12 goals in his first La Liga season. By reaching this tally so young, Vietto joins an illustrious group. The last eight players to manage 12 Liga goals before they turned 22 were Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, Javier Saviola, Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuaín, Fernando Morientes, Raul Gonzalez and former Brazil striker Ronaldo. That's not bad company to be keeping for a player signed last summer for just 5.5 million euros from Argentine side Racing Club, without much fanfare at all.

It’s early yet to be making comparisons but, of the above names, the emerging star’s style is perhaps most reminiscent of Real Madrid legend Raul. Vietto is not the tallest, not the fastest sprinter, and not the strongest, but he is certainly one of the cleverest on the pitch. And he also wears the number seven jersey.

His scoring tally means Vietto is currently La Liga’s eighth highest goalscorer, alongside Atletico Madrid’s Mario Mandzukic. But the youngster has played far fewer minutes than any of the other players in the ‘pichichi’ top ten, as Villarreal coach Marcelino has cleverly marshalled his resources while also competing in the Copa del Rey and Europa League.

Vietto has made the most of his time on the pitch. His rate of one goal every 120 mins in La Liga is only beaten by Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann [108.5], Barcelona’s Neymar (98.5) and Messi (76.5), and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (68.4) of players to score at least 5 goals. A look into the statistics also supports the feeling that Vietto has a Raul-like goal-focus. Despite his limited playing time (11 of his 24 La Liga appearances have been as a substitute) he is sixth overall in total shots taken in La Liga, with one every 22.2 mins (65 efforts in 1440 minutes of action).

A look at the type of goals Vietto has scored so far in La Liga also shows he is a penalty box predator, with the clincher against Celta last weekend yet another calmly placed low effort when he had found half a yard of space close to goal. The numbers confirm this pattern - all of his 12 goals have been scored from inside the penalty area, with three from inside the six yard box. He rarely shoots from long range, and does not take free-kicks or penalties (yet, anyway).

Perhaps it was the lack of obvious physical gifts which meant Vietto went under the radar as an underage player. At 15 he was released by first club Estudiantes de La Plata, and then not taken on after a trial with Rosario Central. He recently told El Larguero radio show that he was close to giving up on football as a career, and joining the family used car sales business in his hometown of Balnearia.

However, agent Jorge Cyterszpiler did not lose faith, and managed to draw the attention of Racing. Vietto quickly settled there and at just 17 was given his full debut in the Argentine top flight in October 2011 by then Racing coach Diego Simeone.

Simeone apparently wanted his current club Atletico Madrid to sign Vietto last summer, but Los Colchoneros missed out, as Villarreal picked up their latest cut-price South American jewel. This made it sting even more when Vietto scored the winner at the Estadio Vicente Calderon late last year, Atletico’s only home defeat in any competition in 2014. That superb solo strike, when he cleverly spun marker Diego Godin and flashed a shot to the corner, also helped the fast emerging youngster win La Liga’s official Player of the Month prize for December.

In January Vietto further enhanced his reputation by adding the Camp Nou to the list of stadiums at which he has scored on his first visit. A typical crisp strike put Villarreal 2-1 ahead against Barcelona, although the Catalans did quickly hit back to win 3-2. Nevertheless a very impressed Messi went to Villarreal’s team hotel afterwards to chat with his fellow Argentine, bringing along a jersey as a gift for his compatriot.

Vietto admitted to being a bit starstruck when speaking with someone who until recently seemed an untouchable hero, but on the pitch he has continued to show no signs of stagefright. Two weekends ago he came off the bench at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and changed the game completely - within three minutes he had played a key role in the equaliser scored by strike-partner Gerard. The substitute almost won the game for Villarreal too, with a late diving header bringing a superb full-length save from Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas to keep the score at 1-1.

Just eight months into his first season in Europe, Vietto already has 19 goals and 8 assists in all competitions. Such an impact has obviously brought attention from elsewhere. Veteran dealmaker Cyterszpiler, who came to prominence in the 1980s as Diego Maradona's business partner, already appears to be planning a summer sale. “We know that there are many clubs following Luciano Vietto,” Cyterszpiler said recently. “There is a big race to sign him.”

Liverpool had looked well placed in the early running, but through the past weeks Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Inter Milan have pushed to the forefront of the Spanish media speculation. If any big club has not been monitoring his progress this season, it would be a surprise.

Villarreal coach Marcelino says the starlet would be best advised to stay another year at least at El Madrigal, where he is under contract until June 2019, and get the regular playing time that would help him to continue to develop. Asked about his future last week Vietto himself showed the sure touch that characterises his penalty box work.

“It’s not that I don’t like praise; it’s more that I am quite a private guy and prefer to keep a low profile,” he told AS. “I’m very happy here, Villarreal have shown a lot of confidence in me and I owe it to them to show the same loyalty. If any big club comes along with a genuine offer, we’ll see what happens. But it would have to be an offer that would suit everyone concerned, a good proposal for me and for the club.”

In just a few short months Vietto has emerged from relative obscurity to become one of Europe’s most sought-after strikers. Although nicknamed 'Lucky' by his mother, nothing about his development has been down to chance. The decision whether to stay or go in the summer looks a tricky one, but his intelligence both on and off the pitch suggest he'll make the right choice.

Do you think Vietto will make a move to one of Europe’s top clubs this summer? Let us know in the comments below