Manchester City endured a tough afternoon at Wembley on Saturday in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
Pep Guardiola could not overcome Oliver Glasner – who sent a warning to Manchester City in April – to ensure the Citizens will go without silverware for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign.
However, the Spaniard did make a piece of FA Cup history with a decision in the 76th minute.
Claudio Echeverri debut marks piece of FA Cup history
When Guardiola introduced Claudio Echeverri against Crystal Palace for his Manchester City debut, the Argentine became the first player since Arthur Turner in 1946 to make his first appearance on such a stage.
Manchester City signed the South American in a £12.5m move from River Plate back in January 2024, before loaning him back to the Argentinian side for 12 months.
Interestingly, this was actually the first time Guardiola has even included Echeverri in a matchday squad since welcoming him to the Etihad Stadium, so it was fascinating to see the 19-year-old given 24 minutes of action in the FA Cup final of all games, with ten minutes of added time for him to make an impact.
Claudio Echeverri comes on to make his @ManCity debut 🇦🇷#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/GdxGCyBO0T
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 17, 2025
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However, the teenager did well, completing all eight of his attempted passes, while also registering two shots on target – one of which he probably ought to have finished – and three shots which were blocked.
Echeverri – who Sergio Aguero rates highly – also won a freekick.
It will surely please the Manchester City No.30 to have been entrusted to change a game as significant as the FA Cup final, a decision which suggests Guardiola has plenty of faith in the attacker.
What Pep Guardiola said about bringing Claudio Echeverri on against Crystal Palace
When asked what the “inspiration” was behind substituting Echeverri on at Wembley, Guardiola said: “My inspiration? I am a talented manager. (A dream) come true. I want to be honest, it was not a bad decision.”
"My inspiration? I'm a talented manager."
Pep Guardiola explains why he gave Claudio Echeverri his debut in the FA Cup final 🏆 pic.twitter.com/uPmu8pXBTR
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 18, 2025
The Argentina U20 international did make a positive impact, and will surely have many more chances to win silverware with Manchester City.