Who is Joaquín Panichelli? Meet Racing's newest talent
Joaquín Panichelli's arrival continues a busy summer for RC Strasbourg -- the young Argentine striker has just become the Club's latest signing. Read more on the attacker in our latest profile.
Another star in the making from River plate
Racing Club de Strasbourg have been one of Ligue 1's busiest sides in the mercato this summer, giving Liam Rosenior's young side a distinctly international flair. They have made permanent the loan signings of Samuel Amo-Ameyaw, Andrew Omobamidele and Valentín Barco, as well as a flurry of new arrivals including Maxi Oyedele, Pape Demba Diop, Mike Penders and Soumaïla Coulibaly. One area the team was yet to make a move in is the forward line -- Emanuel Emegha was consistently impressive, while Sékou Mara despite struggling with fitness proved himself a capable contributor as well.
That changed over the weekend, though, as Joaquín Panichelli has joined the Alsatians from Spanish side Deportivo Alaves. Born in the central Argentine town of Cordoba, the same city that produced the likes of Paulo Dybala and Ossie Ardiles, he got his start in Buenos Aires with River Plate, a club his father had had a trial for before suffering an injury, but only after failing a trial with Boca Juniors. Speaking of his time growing up and the role the game played in his childhood, he said, "My (father) never put pressure on me that I had to play football, to go to training. He told me and my brother to do what we liked, to be responsible and he never put that pressure on us. His time in football fills him with nostalgia, but he always tells us that everything that came next was very nice."
While the COVID-19 pandemic hindered his ability to debut with the first team, after impressing with the reserves, he made his move abroad, signing for Spanish club Deportivo Alaves (the team from which AS Monaco signed Guillermo Maripán) in 2023.
From Córdoba to the World: Joaquín Panichelli 🇦🇷⚽️ pic.twitter.com/THim2cDFSH
— Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace English (@RCSA_English) July 29, 2025
A strong season in Spain
After arriving in the Basque country, Panichelli was cruelly struck down with an ACL injury and had to wait more than a year to make his first team debut. After featuring sparingly for the first team following his recovery, he spent last season on loan at Mirandés in Spain's second tier. Racking up 22 goals and eight assists, he helped Los Jabatos reach the playoffs with a fourth-place finish.
Now in Strasbourg on a contract running through 2030, he'll look to complement Emegha, having played most of his time in Burgos in a 4-3-1-2. Modeling his play on the likes of Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud, he looks to combine his physicality with a willingness to run, making him an ideal foil for the young Dutchman.
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