On 2 December 2012, in round 18 of the Torneo Inicial, River Plate beat Lanús 1-0 at the Monumental and a 19-year-old midfielder from Tucumán made his first-team debut as a second-half substitute. He was Claudio Matías Kranevitter, born on 21 May 1993 in the province of Tucumán, and the coach that day was Gustavo Zapata, standing in before Ramón Díaz returned. A defensive midfielder by trade, “Colo” went on to play in Spain, Russia, Mexico and Turkey, won the 2015 Copa Libertadores and earned caps for Argentina.
Early years in Tucumán and Buenos Aires
He started out in the youth ranks of San Martín de Tucumán but left the club because of his family’s financial difficulties. At 14 he was called up to Argentina’s under-15 squad and was offered a trial at River, which he passed. He joined the club’s eighth division and lived in River’s youth residence until he was 20. In 2012 he was part of the squad that won the Under-20 Copa Libertadores in Lima, the same year he broke into the first team.
River Plate, 2012 to 2015
Under Ramón Díaz he became the holding midfielder of the side that won the 2014 Torneo Final and the Copa Campeonato. Marcelo Gallardo’s arrival in mid-2014 did not cost him his place: River lifted the 2014 Copa Sudamericana and in 2015 added the Recopa Sudamericana, the Copa Libertadores and the Suruga Bank Championship, played in Japan. In August 2015 Atlético de Madrid agreed to sign him for a reported €8 million, with River keeping a share of any future sale. The Spanish club loaned him back to River until December so he could play at the Club World Cup, where River finished runners-up.
Atlético de Madrid and Sevilla
His Atlético debut came on 6 January 2016, in the first leg of a Copa del Rey round-of-16 tie against Rayo Vallecano (1-1). He made 11 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side in the first half of that year. For 2016-17 he was loaned to Sevilla, debuting in the 2016 UEFA Super Cup, lost 3-2 to Real Madrid after extra time. He played 32 competitive matches for the Andalusian club before returning to Madrid in June 2017.
Zenit and Monterrey
On 8 August 2017 he joined Zenit Saint Petersburg, then coached by Roberto Mancini, on a four-year deal. In Russia he made 52 appearances and won the 2018-19 Russian Premier League. On 24 January 2020 he moved to Monterrey, where he passed the hundred-game mark in just under three years. With the Mexican club he won the 2019-20 Copa MX and the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League. On 19 September 2021 he scored his first professional goal, in the Clásico Regio against Tigres, a 2-0 win.
Return to River and a spell in Turkey
On 12 December 2022 River announced his return on a three-year contract, making him the first signing of the Martín Demichelis era. He made his comeback in 2023 against Platense, and that year won the Argentine league title, the Trofeo de Campeones and the 2023 Supercopa Argentina, whose final against Estudiantes was played in Córdoba in March 2024. Across his two spells at River he made more than 140 competitive appearances. After terminating his contract, on 4 September 2025 he signed a one-season deal with Turkish Süper Lig side Fatih Karagümrük, where he played 26 matches and scored once.
Argentina national team
Gerardo Martino handed him his senior debut in September 2015, as a starter in a 7-0 friendly win over Bolivia in Houston. He was selected for the 2016 Copa América Centenario in the United States, where he made three appearances off the bench, including the final against Chile: he came on in the 57th minute and Argentina lost on penalties. He won 9 caps between 2015 and 2017, without scoring. In July 2026 he returned to Argentine football as a free agent to join Racing Club.
Racing ClubMidfielderMarket value €2.6M