Spinelli expected at Vasco after war odyssey and Caniggia comparisons | OneFootball

Claudio Spinelli, 29, is expected in Rio de Janeiro in the coming days to sign a three-year contract with Vasco. He hit two for Independiente del Valle in last year's Sudamericana play-off against them to help his side advance.

In an interview with Argentina's La Red, he described fleeing the 2022 war in Ukraine, a 40-hour car journey and a 20 kilometre walk to the Polish border with help from a stranger.

The Argentine enjoyed a career-best 2025, scoring 28 in 50 for Independiente del Valle. He was their top scorer and struck four in both the Libertadores and the Sudamericana.

A Tigre academy product, he broke through in 2017 and impressed at San Martín in 2018. Nicknamed El Pájaro in a nod to Claudio Caniggia, he began to stand out.

Genoa signed him in 2018, loaning him to Crotone before spells with Argentinos Juniors and Gimnasia. At Gimnasia he worked under Diego Maradona, but his 2020 loan yielded nine games without a goal.

He later had loans at FC Koper in Russia and PFC Oleksandriya in Ukraine, then returned to South America with Lanús, Deportivo Maldonado and Defensor Sporting before joining Del Valle in 2025. Vasco regard him as a cost-effective market opportunity in wages and any permanent deal.

Source: Globo.com