Dario Osorio: The Chilean winger finding his feet in Europe by Calum Scullion
Player Bio:
Name: Dario Osorio
Age: 20
Nationality: Chilean
Height: 184cm/6ft
Position: RW/LW
Club: FC Midtjylland
Background:
Over the past couple of years, Chile has produced a really interesting crop of young players such as Damian Pizarro and Lucas Assadi among others and I find there are always fun and exciting young players to watch in the Chilean league, but I would like to highlight a player that has already made his move to Europe and is beginning to have a real impact at his current club, Dario Osorio.
Dario Osorio was born on the 24th of January 2000 in Hijuelas, Chile. He started his footballing career at Escuela Municipal Hijuelas and then in the youth teams of Santiago Wanderers. In 2015 he joined Universidad De Chile after impressing them in a training match, he progressed through the age groups and made his first team debut for them in 2022.
He would go on to make 33 appearances for the first team that season scoring 8 goals and playing just under 2,000 minutes. In the 22/23 season, he suffered a hamstring injury which kept him out for a little while but he still made 18 appearances, scoring 3 goals and providing 1 assist and he also impressed in the U20 South American championships at the beginning of 2023, he was beginning to attract the interest of European teams and Danish club Midtjylland bought him in August 2023.
Osorio had a pretty good first season in Denmark and proved himself capable of scoring consistently with 9 goals along with 2 assists in 25 appearances mostly coming off the bench and looking to impact games. He has also had a decent start to this season mostly coming off the bench once again in the league but getting a lot of minutes in the Champions League qualifiers.
Playstyle:
Osorio looks comfortable playing on either wing but in the games I watched he mainly played on the right wing looking to cut inside and almost play inverted at times. The first thing I noticed was his ability to play simple, quick passes and how well he linked play in crowded tight areas, particularly out wide or in the midfield. He can move the ball quickly and effectively in these situations and seemed to show a good understanding with his teammates. He also played some nice driven passes into the midfield or into the feet of other attacking teammates, he showed good vision and was able to consistently find teammates in pockets of space.
When Osorio received the ball in advanced areas he would often look to deliver crosses into the box, he showed a good range of crossing and is particularly good at playing either low or floated crosses which teammates often got on the end of. When playing on the right he would often cut in and look to play a more floated, high ball into the box whereas when he plays on the left he will be more direct and look to get to the by-line before delivering a Low driven pass across the face of goal, this highlights his versatility and ability to switch his game up depending on which wing he is on. Dario also put in some good deliveries from corners and free kicks, can be effective from dead ball situations.
He would drop deep at times to show for the ball and get involved in play, definitely seems like a player who prefers to take the ball into feet rather than run in behind, although in saying that he did show good movement and ability to take up dangerous positions in the box and back post area. Osorio is also a decent dribbler and ball carrier, he was able to beat opponents in wide areas and showed quick feet and some good moments of skill and trickery. However he did over-dribble on a few occasions when he should have released the ball sooner, not a major concern but did lead to him being dispossessed a couple of times.
I was surprised with how well he competed and challenged for headers and aerial balls, showed good jumping ability and held his own in the air.
Osorio looked to shoot from distance at times and was really effective from just outside of the box, he scored some great goals from this area and often got himself into these goalscoring positions by playing a good 1-2 with a teammate to free up space and drag defenders away. He is definitely a decent finisher however I do think he still needs to find consistency/ruthlessness with his shooting, some were wildly overhit or off target and then others were sublime and left the keeper with no chance. He also scored a great goal on the counterattack in one game I watched, he dribbled the ball from the half way line and showed great composure to beat the goalkeeper in a 1v1 situation.
When the team was out of possession Osorio did show a willingness to and desire to try and win the ball back but often lacked the strength to outmuscle an opponent. He is a decent enough presser and is capable of closing opponents down, however I do feel this is an area of his game that he can improve and do more often throughout a game. He also has a habit of giving away petty fouls and mistiming tackles, wouldn’t say it’s a major issue but obviously can result in a booking if it happens multiple times in a game.
In general, I was really impressed with Dario Osorio’s on the ball skillset and his technical ability, the only real concern I have with his game is his lack of strength and ability to ride a challenge without losing possession, he was too easily outmuscled and needs to protect the ball better.
Career future/Overall evaluation:
Overall I think Dario Osorio is a top talent and I really like what he offers on the ball and in attacking areas. There were some rumours of interest from Premier League teams over the summer but they haven’t materialized as of yet and if I’m being honest I think he should definitely stay at Midtjylland for this season as it looks like the perfect place for him to continue his development and to polish his game.
I do definitely think he will be playing for a top team in a couple of years and it wouldn’t surprise me if he moves as early as January or next summer. He is a fun player to watch and someone I think we will be seeing a lot more of for years to come.