‘Impressive debut’: Man City wonderkid scores first goal, drawing comparisons to Zidane’s famous strike

Claudio Echeverri marked his debut goal for Manchester City with a stunning free-kick during a 6-0 victory over Al Ain. The 19-year-old, who joined City for £12.5 million from River Plate in January 2024, scored his first goal for the club in the 27th minute, curling a dipper over a five-man defensive wall from 21 yards. The strike was well-placed beyond the goalkeeper and quickly drew praise from fans and analysts alike.

Many supporters on social media called it an “outstanding” and “insane” free-kick, with some claiming, “What a player we’ve signed” and “Claudio Echeverri has arrived.” Notably, a number of fans drew parallels between Echeverri’s maiden goal and Zinedine Zidane’s iconic free-kick against England in Euro 2004.

Images capturing the moment show Echeverri celebrating after finding the net and the impressive technique involved in the goal.

In addition to Echeverri’s goal, new signing Rayan Cherki scored the final goal of the game. Oscar Bobb and Ilkay Gündogan both contributed to City’s tally, with Gündogan netting twice and Erling Haaland converting a penalty kick.

Despite their thrashing of Al Ain, Manchester City remains in second place in Group G, just behind Juventus, who have scored one more goal. To ensure top spot, City must secure a win against Juventus in their upcoming fixture.