Benjamin Cremaschi: The Prince of Messi’s Miami Project by Joshua Nkan
In today’s report, we analyze Inter Miami’s Cremaschi. We highlight his strengths, weaknesses, current ability and future potential.
Biography:
Benjamin Cremaschi could be set for a breakout season for his boyhood side Inter Miami as they look to turn the tide of a poor season into a star-studded success. The 18-year-old midfielder is already one of the most promising talents in the MLS.
Name: Benjamín Cremaschi
Nationality: United States
D.O.B: 3/2/2005 (18 years old)
Height: 5’11 Strong Foot: Right
Current Club: Inter Miami CF
Position: Center Midfield
Value: £5.00m (via Transfermarkt)
Benjamin Cremaschi is an Argentine-American dual national born on March 2, 2005, in Miami, Florida, United States. He has featured in just about every midfield role for Inter Miami. Now sharing the stage with his childhood idol Lionel Messi, Benjamin Cremaschi is a name that soccer fans should get familiar with.
Career Summary:
Cremaschi is the son of an Argentine Professional Men’s rugby player and American mother. He grew up playing soccer in his backyard. His first club was Weston FC in Florida. During his tenure there, he helped the U-16 team earn the 2021 MLS NEXT Cup title and wonthe Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player. Quickly impressing coaches with his technical skills, vision, and work ethic, Cremaschi joined the Inter Miami CF Academy in 2021. He made his debut for the Inter Miami first team in August 2022, and has since established himself as a regular starter, and even caught the attention of the Argentine Federation who floated the idea of him representing their U20 national setup. Up until recently, Cremaschi has had to develop as young player in a struggling Inter Miami team lacking of real leaders. His maturity and ability to handle pressure has made him stand out amongst many of his older teammates. He was selected for the US U-19 team’s championship run at the Slovenia Nations Cup in September 2022 and later was invited to the United States U20 team’s preseason in October 2022 to prepare for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. As far as senior national team football goes, Cremaschi may not be completely there yet, but the United States may face some competition for his services from Argentina if he is able to strike a chord with Messi. Bundesliga clubs scouts have been seen scouting the youngster at games across this season, and there is little doubt that his future lays in Europe, but signs point towards him seeing the 2023 season out and learning from some of the worlds best players as teammates.
Style of Play:
Cremaschi plays as a central midfielder, often deployed in a box-to-box role but can also fill in as a wide playmaker or even a traditional ‘10’. He likes to link up with the striker or create chances for his teammates with his passing and crossing from the right flank. For Miami, he is used to progress the ball up the field with his brilliant ball-security and occasionally, will crash into the penalty box late to get on the end of opportunities. In youth divisions we have often seen Cremaschi fluidly interchange with attackers, almost working as a second striker in some attacking sequences.
Naturally, he has been compared to his idol Lionel Messi, who recently signed with Inter Miami. Cremaschi has admitted that he learns a lot from watching and training with Messi. What separates Cremaschi from the hundreds of “Next Messi’s” before him though is how he uniquely profiles less to the young and rapid Messi with mazy dribbles across the spine of a defense, but more like the older but still superb Messi of the last 4 years; occupying the center midfield positions to carry the ball in the inside of the right channel as a creative force. The similarities of their game will prove to be a challenge for new Miami coach Tata Martino who had continued Cremaschi’s impressive run of starts into Messi’s debut vs Cruz Azul. In this game, Messi entered the field in the second half, substituting young Cremaschi. With Messi now fully fledged into the team, even wearing the captain’s armband, there are some that may worry Cremaschi could now be relegated to the bench.
There is hope that the two can co-exist in the same lineup, however. Tactically, Cremaschi possesses the physicality to fill in as a deeper ‘8’ akin to how Rodrigo De Paul plays for Argentina. Cremaschi is not the fastest but possesses the right kind of tenacity and bite for breaking up the opponents press and beginning attacking phases. This role could work to complement Messi and Busquets better who can no longer do the hard yards at his age.
Cremaschi is a player with a bright future ahead of him. He has shown his potential at Inter Miami and could soon make his mark on the international stage. Whether he chooses to play for the U.S. or Argentina, he will surely be a young star to watch in the coming years.