Benjamin Cremaschi seemingly came out of nowhere. He was an unknown commodity, a teenager of Argentine-American heritage who grew up playing local soccer and rugby in Miami.
But his rise has been otherworldly. After earning his first senior start at the MLS level in 2023, he's now being touted as the next great American soccer player - and his potential? And that's barely scraped the surface of it.
Playing alongside Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez at Inter Miami, representing his country at the Olympic Games, making his senior U.S. men's national team debut, and putting forth a mindblowing performance against FC Porto - one of Europe's biggest teams - at the FIFA Club World Cup, Cremaschi is making his way up the ladder for both club and country.
Now, after surrounding himself with some of the best minds in the American game at the moment, he's looking to climb higher and higher.
"Obviously being around these guys [Messi and Suarez], you learn a lot," Cremaschi told GOAL earlier this year at the January USMNT camp. "You learn how they take care of their body, how they work in training. I think every single player in the club at Inter Miami tries to absorb everything they do, everything they show, and I think it's important to have people like that, to have people who played at that level.
"Obviously, they're amazing people. They try to help out with everything they can do. I'm super happy to have them there, and obviously, I try to translate what they show and what they do into my game."
The 20-year-old signed a new long-term contract extension with Miami towards the end of the 2024 campaign, but that hasn't turned away potential suitors, either. The midfielder has been linked with a transfer to some of Europe's top clubs, including 2025-26 Champions League teams in Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus, both of whom are reportedly monitoring him this summer.
Cremaschi is just playing his game, and by doing so, he's catching the eyes of the world. But who is he, and genuinely, where did this all kick off? GOAL scouts the midfielder who could be the next great American midfielder, while being the first to learn his trade from Messi himself.
