Ahead of the Game: Identify Child Football Prodigies here

“It’s awkward,” Enna said. “You look at LeBron James — he played for his high school and went pro. Why do we have to give it up?”

The opposition to this seems to half think that these kids are going to drop out of school? Whereas it just amounts to a v. well run after/out-of-school class, like getting high grade guitar lessons from a specialist guitar teacher.

Also it is great pointing to the likes of LeBron in the article but you have to wonder how many great atheletes America has missed out on by connecting it so severely with the education system, one that most critics could point to a Wire S4-esque situation of failure for a lot of kids.

I just read The Art of Fielding and ok, it is purposefully a literary novel about smart people but it makes it seem like half a college baseball team is working off genius. Whereas if I offered half a professional football team in this country that 500 page novel - about sports - to read, they'd look at me like i was asking them to do quantum physics. While it seems like European football is too busy preparing youngsters of potential to become footballers and nothing else, America doesn't seem to prepare them to become footballers unless they do it themselves, too busy going to college and whatever. A middle ground is needed.

Considering the CRAZY figure of how many people play football in America, it should produce more than 2 players worth exporting a year. I wonder how much of this failure is based on it being the 5th most popular sport. If basketball had such a worldwide hysteria and similar training systems, would America be as dominant as it is today? Or would they just bow their heads, understand they need to do it what is increasingly being called the 'Stoke City' method?

For advocates of the previous system, however — in which the Development Academy’s schedule typically broke for the scholastic season and players were free to join their school squads — the sacrifices required by this shift are too great. Dan Woog, the boys soccer coach at Staples High School in Westport, Conn., recalled the night his team won a league championship several years ago and a group of players showed up at a diner afterward with their championship medals around their necks.

Suddenly, the other customers in the diner — a majority of them Westport residents — stood up and spontaneously gave the players a standing ovation. The players beamed.

“They’re going to remember that the rest of their lives,” Woog said. “They felt like kings. That’s not going to happen in the academy.”

No, if they go to the academy they will be properly trained atheletes going for worldwide prestige, untold millions and the opportunity to become Americas first true soccer star. But you know, that one time as a teenager...

the point is the current system is rooted in communities and it allows a bunch of kids who have no chance of becoming professionals to be in the spotlight for a while.
doesn't matter how many kids play soccer, without a culture in the usa that follows and obsesses over it, i don't think it will produce great players. so many american players are immigrants or the children of immigrants and therefore have exposure to a soccer-obsessed culture.
interesting to read foreign opinions on us sport culture, but i have never thought that americans don't work hard enough on sports and i am pretty sure the art of fielding has absolutely noting to do with actual baseball.

also don't believe for a second that usa wouldn't dominate in basketball if other countries were crazy for it. more likely (to me) that usa would dominate soccer if it was the most popular sport here.

well yeah it doesnt seem like it even cares to be an accurate baseball novel. good read tho.

even now america most probably has enough people in it that obsess over football as a midsized european country albeit spread out over a landmass the size of Europe. If Portugal or Denmark or Croatia can produce the likes of Suker or the Laudrups or Figo, I don't think America are pulling their weight for their current soccer-culture, let alone American sporting culture.

Can't wait til China puts together an uber-team to put the NBA in its place

also don't believe for a second that usa wouldn't dominate in basketball if other countries were crazy for it. more likely (to me) that usa would dominate soccer if it was the most popular sport here.

― mizzell, Tuesday, 6 March 2012 14:43 (4 minutes ago)

This was regarding how they develop, fyi. In Brazil or Spain their college equiv. would be playing professionally and against the best, possibly at an international level for the three years someone would be at college learning Media Studies. It justs seems odd that you wouldn't encourage talented atheletes to be schooled to enhance their abilities the same way there are performing arts schools etc.

trust me, the most talented atheletes spend plenty of time getting coached and practicing in their college years. much much less time spent studying.

oh i dont doubt that

not exactly ahead of the game here as he's 17 and has already been spotted by a few bigger clubs and trained with Liverpool but this lad Joel Pohjanpalo is worth watching - a perfect hat-trick in two minutes in only his second senior game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibHRquIsXkg

There's a kid who's obviously got it imo. Nice to see some domestic Finnish footy too. Feel for these journeyman pros though tbh, suddenly reduced to fodder for this child on his way to bigger things.

if ever he gets fat and useless, big joel pohjanpalo would be a great name for a big

i think the only suomi fitba ive seen was that clip from when roy hodgson was manager of their national team and an owl landed on the pitch

30th best league in Europe, apparently. Jari Litmanen's still going!

great 'when showboating goes wrong' example at the start of that vid.

yes, and the failed showboater could maybe have stood in front of the free kick or covered the unmarked guy who crosses for the goal

perkele!

also recently found out a friend's husband was once a gk in the finnish 2nd division. semi-pro team but sounded like a hell of a good time from his stories.

i sort of want to ask tuomas if he has heard of jari litmanen

AC Milan have paid over €500,000 for 14-year-old Hachim Mastour, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

The attacking midfielder is reported to have been brought to the Italian giants’ attention by former San Siro manager Arrigo Sacchi.

The move from Reggiana has been confirmed by his agent Dario Paolillo, and the Serie A side’s vice-president, Adriano Galliani, believes the youngster needs to mature in a pressure-free environment.

Galliani went on record to say: “Mastour seems to have great qualities, but let’s not put too much pressure on him. Mastour is 14 years old. He's the future. But he’s still just a kid.”

According to reports, Milan have beaten Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter to the youngster's signature.

Full name Adryan Oliveira Tavares
Date of birth October 8, 1994 (age 17)

Scored a nice goal on his senior club debut last week. This video shows him mostly at the U-17 World Cup I think. To quote Ismael, "a kid who's obviously got it imo."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRZA4M-3Vio

THIS talented Irish player is set to take the football world by storm — after signing for Barcelona FC.

Zak Gilsenan, nine, from Castleknock, Dublin, has been snapped up by the Spanish giants after wowing scouts when he scored SEVEN goals in a trial.

The schoolboy saw off 400 other starlets to seal a place at the FCBEscola football academy — which has produced such famous stars as Xavi, Iniesta and Zak’s favourite player Lionel Messi.

Dad Stephen Gilsenan said the whole family will now up sticks and move to Spain to help the midfield ace follow his dream.

Stephen told the Irish Sun: “We were living in Australia when Zak was spotted by Spurs, who were running football camps over there.

Proud dad ... Stephen with Barcelona bound Zak
“We came home with the intention of letting Zak go to Spurs, but in the meantime we had a call from Barcelona. One of their former players saw him playing in Oz and recommended him to Barca.

“They offered Zak a trial in May and it was a great experience. It consisted of over 400 boys from all over the world. He was asked back in June when it was cut down to 90.

“Then in a match between the top 16 players, Zak just ran riot and scored seven goals. He was phenomenal. Then we heard back two weeks ago and they offered him a spot.”

Zak will be joined in Spain by Stephen, mum Claudia, brother Jamie and actress sister Danielle.

He will now come face-to-face with Ireland’s Galactico — Mayo lad John Joe Patrick Finn. In May we revealed how the youngster, whose dad is from Ballyhaunis, signed for the other Spanish giants, Real Madrid.

Seven goals ... Zak
Mining company worker Stephen said: “I know Zak is young to be doing this but kids are like a sponge at this age.

“People say we are mad but in Barcelona he will be educated in the best footballing techniques.

“All we can do is go and see how it develops. We know it’s ruthless over there. We don’t want him turned into a machine, we just want him to enjoy it. It’s his dream to play for Ireland.”

estimate percent chance zak gilsenan displaces paul mcshane from the left wing position prior to ireland's 3-0 loss to macedonia in the 2022 world cup qualifiers

Then in a match between the top 16 players, Zak just ran riot and scored seven goals

Hm, I can't help picturing a father who can't believe his luck. If Zak were really all that he'd be all blasé, talking about workrate and stuff, not about how he thought the third wheel looked like it was going to be a lemon but then it clicked onto a cherry and I'd like to thank me mam, barcelona and god.

Zak's the new Jon Chard imo.

he's got the hair of a Barcelona youth

http://www.balls.ie/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/zak.png

telltale irish complexion and football skills tho

odds on trapp wondering if he can call him up today (messi already disproving the 'too small for the big time' theory)

You must be thinking of some other Trap. Check out the other kid mentioned in the article though. Might end up playing for Spain but it'd probably be worth it to have someone called John Joe Patrick Finn winning the World Cup

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01500/SNE0207B--5322_1500751a.jpg

judging by that pic he will be a boring defensive midfielder who will nonetheless win the world cup and the european championships before marrying a supermodel

JJ Patrick Finn and young Gilsenan should provide Robbie Keane the service he needs come 2022.

signs on the lads their folks moved off foreign, else they'd be getting the shite horsed out of them at minor gaa matches before deciding they'd rather take up accountancy

is that your secret origin

that was the fuckin high point, tbh

Chelsea now going to buy Eden's little brother, Thorgan.

Disappointed. I was hoping he was called 'Water' tbh.

signs on the lads their folks moved off foreign, else they'd be getting the shite horsed out of them at minor gaa matches

dublin u-9 football champion, 1991. official gaa medal and all.

Sonny Pike, Cherno Samba, and other wunderkinds who didn't make it

i played u-11 hurling for donegal, which may well be the lowest level at which one can partake in said sport tbrr

I'm still only 30 btw

sayin'

That Liverpool fan's top 100 youths list is enjoyable.

19. Baldo Di Gregorio (CB, Eintract Frankfurt)
20. Andres Iniesta (AM, Barcelona)

Baldo (great name for a centre-back btw) is currently playing for Gostaresh Foolad in the Iranian second division.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=DThjb_XyyoU

No mention of Foday Nabay here.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/7913738/City-target-talented-teen

Heh heh: Islam Feruz gets stroppy, has twitter account deleted. I think that's a first for one of our prodigies.

Have heard quite a few stories of him being a billy big-baws around Glasgow, walking off 5-a-side pitches in the huff if everyone doesn't worship his awesomeness etc.

good luck playing the big dog at Chelsea, sonny

hed have a hard time on blaize huh

estimate percent chance islam feruz has a better career than freddy adu

watching Tottenham-Barcelona in the NextGen series after reading raves about Barça Juvenil's #6 midfield pivot Sergi Samper - Xavi comparisons obviously, and Pirlo. He hasn't done much in the first half, Spurs have some good-looking players though, Coulibaly and a quick footed right winger who looks like Gareth Bale's little brother.

Glancing at their roster it appears that only 6 of 27 Juvenil players are black, but at least 4 are on the pitch right now, it's noticeable. I didn't realize La Masia was making inroads w/r/t racial diversity. The Reyes-Henry-Aragones incident was a while ago now, but iirc Laurent Blanc claimed there were no black players in the Spanish youth setup when defending his own country's quota system.