One To Watch: Santiago Hidalgo
Moving to Ligue 1 McDonald's from Buenos Aires side CA Independiente, Santiago Hidalgo is ready to make his mark after scoring his first goal on Saturday. Learn more about Les Violets' young forward in our latest One to Watch.
A bright start
The transition from CA Independiente is perhaps an unfamiliar one for players in Ligue 1 -- Lyon's Nicolás Tagliafico and former Marseille defender Mauricio Isla are the only players of note to have made their names with the Buenos Aires club. But while players who came of age with Los Diablos Rojos are relatively unfamiliar in France, that doesn't mean they've not had an outsize effect on football in Europe. Players like Carlos Tevez, Emi Martínez and Diego Forlán all got their start there, good company indeed for Hidalgo.
Born in the small northern city of Santiago del Estero, Hidalgo's first club was San Lorenzo, but he would move on to Independiente at the age of 11. Impressing with the club's reserves, he made his professional debut at age 16 in 2022, and would go on to make more than forty appearances, including a half dozen on the continental stage. A regular for his country at youth level, he helped Argentina qualify for the U-20 World Cup, although he didn't take part owing to his commitments with Toulouse.
SCENES IN MARSEILLE! TOULOUSE EQUALIZES IN THE STOPPAGE TIME! 😱 pic.twitter.com/ai5evIjkPZ
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 29, 2025
Taking the next step
Named by the English newspaper the Guardian as one of the sixty top talents globally at his age in 2022, Hidalgo was clearly destined for bigger things, though. A versatile forward able to play across the front line and in a variety of systems, Hidalgo's strong play soon attracted the attention of European clubs, but it was Toulouse who moved to sign the youngster, adding him to a squad that is managed by Spaniard Carlés Martínez Novell and features more than 15 different nationalities.
On his arrival, Hidalgo was clear about his objectives, and acknowledged that the transition to one of Europe's top five leagues would not be the easiest, saying, 'I'm very happy to be in Toulouse. I am very grateful because it is a great opportunity to continue progressing. Leaving Argentina is a big challenge, but I think I’m ready to face it."
Having rarely featured as a starter in Argentina, his time since coming to France has been more of the same -- he's been in the eleven just once among his ten appearances, but his debut was an auspicious one, as he set up Djibril Sidibé for the game's only goal as Toulouse defeated Nice on Matchday One. Another assist followed two rounds later against PSG, but he was left on the bench of late as Toulouse struggled, having gone winless since mid-October. On Saturday, though, he showed his ability, using his pace and wiry strength to edge in front of his defender and head in the equalizer directly from a long throw.
While he'll need to show more consistency to win a starting role, Hidalgo's maverick approach fits in well to Novell's style of play, and he could be well on his way to becoming the next big Argentine star in Ligue 1.
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