Have you ever wondered how Messi, DiMaria, Aguero, Otamendi, played when they were 14? Or 16 years old? Before the professional debut, the million dollar contracts, the World Cup trophy?

You're in luck - because this video gives you a behind the scenes look at the youth teams of Racing Club and River Plate, which have both produced players that made an impact on the global stage.

For one of our first Because Football adventures in Buenos Aires, I was invited to visit the training ground of Racing Club de Avellaneda, one of Argentina's "Big 5" clubs that can trace its history back to 1903. Known as "El Primer Grande" (The First Great), Racing had a dynasty in 1910s, winning SEVEN CONSECUTIVE titles from 1913-1919.

Fast forward another 120 years and the club has maintained its status as one of the giants of Argentine football. In fact, recent World Cup winners Rodrigo DePaul, Lautaro Martinez were both developed at Predio Tita Matiussi, Racing's academy home in the Sarandi neighborhood in southern Buenos Aires.

I was able to watch Racing Club take on River Plate's U14, U15, and U16 sides (known as "categorias"). It was a joy to watch some of the country's top talent at each level. I'm sure we'll see some of these boys playing abroad in Europe or MLS, or shining on a continental in the Copa Libertadores over the next few years.

In recent years, River has produced Javier Mascherano, Falcao, Alexis Sanchez, Gonzalo Higuain, and most recently Claudio Echeverri, who was recently sold to Manchester City and then loaned back to River for this season.

Not only was I impressed by the level of ability, the speed of play, the technique, but the general atmosphere of the games struck me as well. Granted, these were friendly matches, but the coaching staff and parents were all quite relaxed. The day held the feeling of a facilitation, of respect for the boys playing their game being the priority, without extra pressure or stress from anyone on the sidelines.

This was a big surprise to me - given Argentina's reputation as football fanatics (we're talking about a country that no longer permits visiting fans to attend matches due to security reasons!) - and something I'm keen to experience more of.

Of course, mate, the ever-present herbal tea beloved to Argentines, was always present. In the video, you can see the "materas", the bags made specifically for carrying mate cups, thermoses, and the massive bags of herbs themselves (at the training ground, the trash cans were all full of green herbs that had been dumped to make way for a fresh cup!).

Overall, an amazing day and I must thank my friend Ignacio "Nacho", who works in the physical department for Racing's academy, for the invitation!

Our journey in Argentina has just become so please be sure to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE this with a friend who needs to know more about the Argentine youth football scene!

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