If these boys do not reach the elite in five years, I would have to change profession.
They could be born anywhere.
In a big city or in a small village.
Sometimes they come out of nowhere.
Other times you always seem to know they will eventually make it. And usually sooner rather than later.
On occasions, they grew up as local stars – always so much better than their peers.
It would also occur that their talent was very highly thought of from their early days, but so was the one of some other players in the same age group.
BIG PITCH
Ferran Torres was born in a small town of Foyos, around 10 kilometres north of the big city of Valencia.
He was to become no local star.
By the tender age of just six, he already trained at Valencia Club de Fútbol – Champions League finalists not once but twice just a few years earlier.
Little Ferran had been recommended to the club by his physical education teacher after first kicking the ball at school, on a futsal pitch.
At Valencia, they had a closer look. And clearly liked what they saw.
“Quick, talented, bit cheeky and above all, a goalscorer“, is how one of Torres’ first coaches, Raúl Muñoz, remembers the now 20-year-old.
However and perhaps surprisingly, it was not until playing at a full-sized pitch when Ferran really started to shine.
Earlier, in what was then seven- rather than the now more common in Spain eight-a-side football, he was good, but did not particularly stand out.
“Humble and introverted“, are other words that tended to describe him.
ROUGH DIAMOND
“If these boys do not reach the elite in five years, I would have to change profession”, another now ex-coach at the Valencia Academy, Javier Jordá, recently said.
Torres was not the only super talent in his age group.
In fact, Valencia have recently had a rather impressive record as far as proper academy products are concerned.
Carlos Soler (born in 1997), who was born in the city, has been at the club since the age of eight.
Defender Hugo Guillamón – a month older than Torres with whom he won both the under-17 and under-19 European Championship title – moved to Valencia from San Sebastián aged two and joined VCF six years later.
Lee Kang-in (born in 2001) then travelled the world at the age of 10.
And it was the South Korean and Torres who Jordá was referring to.
There were other players who have since not made it but who also contributed to this particular age group, born in 2000, having been regarded as a glorious generation at the club.
Torres is just the rough diamond that eventually shone through.
In the picture: Ferran Torres as a kid (found here)
BREAKTHROUGH 