In January 2022, Watford’s signing of a young Colombian talent was gazumped by, a few days later, Liverpool’s move for Luis Diaz. Here at BabaGol we take a look at Yaser Asprilla, arguably the most conspicuous signing from January's transfer window.
Asprilla made just 22 league appearances before his move to the Hornets, following in the footsteps of some of his compatriots from years gone by - Jorge Segura and Cucho Hernadez to name a few - to move away from his homeland to pursue the big time in north-west London.
The third of seven brothers, Yaser Esneider Asprilla Martinez was born on 19 November 2003 in Bajo Baudo, a small town on the west coast of Colombia. His father, a construction worker, was wounded in a ‘conflict incident’, forcing his family to move to Tienda Nueva, in Palmira, when Asprilla was just six years old.
He started playing football for his local school team, later moving on to the Tablones Educational Institution where he caught the eye of Evelio Orozco, president of Envigado Palmira - the local branch of Envigado FC’s youth academy.
After consulting with Asprilla’s parents’, Orozco took custody of the youngster, looking after him and allowing him to live at his house.
At the age of 11, he played in the Pony Soccer Tournament - the youth competition that discovered the likes of Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado - where he showcased his skills.
Working through the age groups at Envigado, he went on to make his senior team debut in December 2020, in Envigado’s 3-0 defeat to Independiente Medellin. When the 2021 Categoria Primera A season rolled around, he was a regular starter. Coming on as a sub in their first league game of the year, Asprilla changed the game and scored his first professional goal, in a game that ended in a 2-2 draw.
He played 20 more games in 2021, scoring five goals, and becoming one of the hottest names on the continent in the process.
This was enough for Watford to start their pursuit for the rising star, paying £2.5m ($3m) for 80% of the player’s rights.
To ease the adjustment, Asprilla was loaned back to Envigado for six months.
“I wanted to continue playing for the club that gave me my first opportunity”, he said at the time.
Colombia’s second youngest player ever
And Asprilla's good form didn't escape Colombia’s former head coach, Reinaldo Rueda, who called him up for a friendly against Honduras in early 2022. His debut was a success, and included two shots on target, 83% effective passes, and he started the play that led to Andres Colorado’s goal.
His performance was good enough that he was called up again, this time for the final round of World Cup qualifiers, where he became the second-youngest player to ever represent the senior national team, behind only Johnnier Montaño, who did so at 16.
Asprilla can play as a roaming midfielder, an attacking midfielder behind the striker, or as a winger. Alberto Suarez, his coach at Envigado, describes him as both technical and skillful.
“He’s a ‘10’, he can quickly control and move the ball forward. He has abilities that are hard to find in other players.”
He’s joined up with his new side now, and will play in the Championship with Watford this season, after they were relegated from the Premier League. And his pre-season performances have been impressive, scoring a goal against Wycombe.
The fact that Watford will likely be a contender for promotion makes them play more offensively, which plays to his strengths, but the Championship is a far more physically demanding league - potentially a significant obstacle for a young foreign player of his size.
But Asprilla believes in his abilities. “I’m sure that I can be even better than Faustino”, referencing his compatriot Faustino Asprilla, no relation, who played for Newcastle for two seasons in the 90s, “I know it will be a special experience in my professional career”.
Edited by Alex Smith
Thumbnail photo by Watford FC
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