Manchester City were one of the clubs left waiting by the phone. Samuel Martinez, the Colombian teenager who lit up the U17 South American Championship, has chosen Liverpool, and his family have now described the whirlwind that preceded that decision.

Speaking to Gol Caracol, Martinez's mother Victoria Valencia painted a picture of a household under siege. "We had 30 teams around the world, and we spent almost a month and a half without sleep," she said. "Everyone was calling at all hours. We lived on European time for a month."

City were not alone in their interest. Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Watford and Udinese all made enquiries, according to his father Jairo Martinez. The 17-year-old, a 6ft attacking midfielder, had his pick of some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

A tournament that changed everything

It was in Paraguay, five months ago, that Martinez announced himself. Colombia won the U17 South American Championship, and their No.10 contributed three assists in six matches. One came against Brazil in the semi-final, another in the final against Argentina.

Those performances did the rest. The race for his signature became a scramble, with Liverpool eventually confirming an agreement with Atletico Nacional that can only be completed when Martinez turns 18 next year.

His parents insist the final call belonged to their son. "We had conversations with everyone, but Samuel made the decision," they said. "We rely on what he wants, what he decides, what he feels comfortable with."

For City, it is another near-miss in a market where the margins are increasingly fine. The Blues have their own teenage success story in Floyd Samba, who described his Carabao Cup debut against Norwich City as a dream come true after scoring twice. But Martinez was clearly a target they rated highly.

He will arrive on Merseyside with time to settle. His father revealed that Samuel has been studying English with a personal tutor, and by the time he officially joins in April, he should be ready for the next step.

Whether City rue this one in years to come remains to be seen. For now, they can only watch as a player they wanted learns his trade at Anfield.