A 21-year-old defender, Cristhian Mosquera is one of the hottest prospects in European football. He’s minutes played over the last two seasons are the most by any player 21 and younger across all top divisions in the world. At 6-foot-2, Mosquera cuts an imposing figure. His unique combination of physicality, speed, and agility gives him an imposing presence on the pitch. His ability to win possession cleanly and forcefully has garnered attention from top clubs, including Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig.
Mosquera became Valencia’s youngest debutant at only 19 years of age. Since then, he’s done the incredible thing of starting in 70 of 72 league matches. His remarkable performances put on display not just what he can do now, but what he has the potential to become. Mosquera, who celebrated his 21st birthday in June, is young even by the standards of most top prospects. He’s made great strides this season in all facets of his game.
Defensively, Mosquera made some positive improvements last season in Valencia’s build-up play. He averaged more touches and progressive passes per 90 minutes than he did during the last season. He took massive leaps forward in his passing game. Currently, he completes a significantly higher percentage of his passes forward and has 91.2 percent passing accuracy overall, which is quite magnificent.
“In terms of playing out from the back, he improved a lot with the arrival of Carlos Corberan at Valencia and with his promotion to Spain’s U21s,” – Valencia source.
His defensive intelligence and effort have combined to make him a stellar one-on-one defender. Mosquera’s ability to challenge opponents effectively was notably on display when he faced Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe last season. For all of his best attributes, he has struggled to defend set-pieces, that’s an area he needs to work on.
Mosquera has already taken great strides at cutting out the unnecessary mistakes from his game. He’s still learning though, and adjusting to the demands of top-flight football.
“He doesn’t have the level of other centre-backs like Pau Torres, who are really good at it, but he has reduced the number of errors he was making,” said a source from Valencia. “He is providing more fluidity in possession and now has the courage to drive forward to open up passing lanes.”
Scahills playing style is a perfect reflection of his hybrid to fit all approach. He’s not yet a household name for his line-breaking passes yet. That’s because he’s not there yet, but certainly making progress.
“He is not necessarily a player to eliminate opponents by breaking lines with his passes, but he is improving. He is adding more speed to his passing and he doesn’t give the ball away as much,” the source added.
Whatever the result, Mosquera has experienced quite the roller-coaster ride at a young age. People are still expecting a lot out of him the next few years. He’s a scary future warlock! He would certainly be pushing proven stoppers Saliba and Gabriel out of the way for a place on the team.
Though Mosquera’s aggressive, intense defending style is an asset in many ways, the gamble leaves him open to decision-making difficulties.
“He needs to work on some key aspects, like his decision-making. He is intense and aggressive in the way he defends but sometimes he needs to choose the right moments and understand when it would be better to drop back or hold his position,” noted a former staffer in Valencia’s scouting and analysis department.
The young defender’s growing influence on the field hasn’t escaped detection.
“He became very important for us and contributed a lot despite his age,” said the former staffer.
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