Do you know Balanta?

do just 8 months had not debuted in the First Division and 25 matches later the greats of Europe raffle it off (Barcelona, Monaco, Benfica and Porto). This is Éder Álvarez Balanta, the Colombian left-handed center back from River Plate who has slipped into all the agendas of the scouts who come to the Monumental in Buenos Aires.

born 28 February 1993, Balanta is a left-footed center back with excellent ball movement both long and short, which helps make your team's ball output more fluid. Despite not having a great stature (180 cms.) dominates the aerial game thanks to his powerful jump, what you have generated that you have written down 2 League goals. He is quite fast and on multiple occasions tries to anticipate the striker's intentions, aspect that it does very effectively. Against him for the jump to Europe in addition to his inexperience, it is necessary to put his null use of the right leg and some of the advantages that help him stand out in Argentina may play against him in his European adventure. It can also be adaptable to the left side, for his speed, and to the pivot. In fact, he entered the River Plate academy as a 5 pure and the agglomeration of players in that position delayed him to the central position.

El Coyote, as they know him in Argentina, started at the Compensar Academy, at 2010 playing a tournament with the youth team of Bogotá, scouts from River Plate offered him to try out in their quarry. Despite his father's refusal, Balanta and five other compatriots, They spent a few days on trial in Buenos Aires and he was the only one who convinced the River Plate youth coaches, signing in February 2011. Since his arrival he begins to stand out in the lower categories, which leads the coach Matías Almeyda to take it to the preseason of the Closing Tournament 2012. The good games he has with the reserve in the Copa Libertadores Sub 20 make him be called up for the semifinal of the Copa Argentina against Racing Club, He does not debut with the first team but he does manage to win the Libertadores Sub 20 defeating the Uruguayans of Defensor Sporting in the final.

Almeyda calls him again to carry out the Apertura preseason 2012, while still being a defensive stronghold in the Blood Gang reserve. Due to a plague of casualties in the defensive zone of the Millionaires, Ramon Diaz (River's new coach after Almeyda's dismissal) He goes to the reserve squad to find substitutes for his injured players and meets a central defender with similar characteristics to the injured Bottinelli, but bad luck appears in a match with the reserve where Balanta suffers what seems to be a serious ligament injury. In the end, the break is ruled out since it is a fairly strong sprain, what forces you to lose 2 months of competition and with it 2 bad news: not being able to debut with the River Plate first team and not being able to attend the Colombian call for the South American Sub 20, where your selection stands with the title.

He returns from injury and Pelado Díaz includes him in the call for the classic against San Lorenzo de Almagro, does not end up playing any minute. But 4 days later, the eighth date of the Closing 2013 form in the initial axis of the rear with González Pírez, having an outstanding performance in the millionaire victory for 0-2 in Avellaneda. Two days later he scores his first goal in the first division on Godoy Cruz's pitch. His good performances make Carlos Restrepo, sub selector 20 Colombian, I called you for the Tournament of Hopes in Toulon, but a muscle tear in the Monumental against All Boys makes him fall out of the call and jeopardize his participation in the last dates of the Clausura 2013 where River had a chance to win. This possibility of championing leads Ramón Díaz to refuse to give up Balanta to Colombia to play the Sub World Cup 20 in Turkey.

This summer, his name sounds strong for two expert teams in discovering future South American players (Benfica and Porto) and in the long run ring for Barcelona and the new rich of European football Monaco. Balanta is now the main axis of the millionaire behind, this situation helped by the defeat of Argentina against Uruguay, create a barrage of voices on social networks for Sabella to summon the Colombian central defender, since he has not worn the coffee maker shirt in any category. Balanta in some statements denies that he wants to represent the albiceleste, but the whole debate is settled by José Pekerman calling him for the friendlies in November against Belgium and the Netherlands. In both games he sits on the bench and does not enjoy any minute, but seeing the level of the Colombian central defenders and if he continues to handle himself at his usual level, it would not be strange to see Balanta among the 23 summoned by Colombia for the World Cup in Brazil 2014. Many people would be surprised by his call, but the readers of Hanging for Soccer, no.