Zacharias Faour, 15 year old Malmo striker
Recently, Manchester City clinched the deals for Fernandinho and Jesus Navas, two of the biggest signings so far this summer, and showing that Manchester City are trying to begin the rebuilding process after the disappointing campaign at the Etihad Stadium. I was very pleased to see we signed those two players. However, they did overshadow another signing for City, Zacharias Faour from Malmo, for around £400k.
The 15-year-old is thought of as one of the biggest talents that Malmo possesses, and has caught the eye of some of Europe’s biggest clubs in recent times. Real Madrid and Juventus were all tossed into the hat as contenders for his signature, as usual, but as were Manchester City, now big enough to be linked with good young talents. The most iconic part of this story is when I found out that Faour had been labelled “The Next Ibrahimovic” by many in Sweden. That’s a huge tag to live up to, with Ibra being one of the best players that Sweden have ever had, and one of the best current strikers in world football. If Faour is able to live up to this labelling, then City have made a great signing, but if not he joins a long list over over-hyped players, which would be very unfortunate.
I don’t see the point in putting pressure on young players in the way that people have on Faour at such a young age. At that stage in a player’s career, you need to be nurturing them to improve, not likening to them to stars of the game. It adds unnecessary pressure to the player as they try and focus on reaching that potential to fulfill the expectations of fans, even if they might not actually have the potential that people think they do. It can also make the player get ahead of themselves, thinking they’re better than they are, and damaging their careers. This is because they don’t put enough effort in, as they feel they’ll have it all made for them, and effort is one of the key aspects for a young player.
Another example of pressure being put on a young player, and then him being unsuccessful in his career is Freddy Adu, the Ghanaian-born, American international attacker. He signed a professional contract with DC United, of the MLS when he was just 14 years old, back in 2004, and made nearly 90 appearances by the end of 2006, catching the eye of many around the world. He was traded to Real Salt Lake in early 2007, and made 11 appearances before making his big move that summer, to Benfica of Portugal. He was thought of as one of the best young talents at the time. However, he only made 11 appearances in four years at the Estadio da Luz, spending most of his time out on loan as clubs like Monaco and Belenenses. He transferred back to America in 2011, to Philadelphia Union, and has made 35 appearances since then, but will be disappointed he didn’t live up to the initial hype. He’s still only 24, so has a long time left in his career, but it looks like he will be nothing more than MLS-level in his playing days.
Obviously, it isn’t good to see young players fail to fulfill their potential in their careers, especially if they have potential to be one of the best players in world football, which is why I think it’s key we don’t put these tags such as “next Ibrahimovic” on them. I can’t explain how much I rate Ibrahimovic as a player, even if a lot of others don’t. He’s got to have something about him if he’s managed to get into teams such as Barcelona and Juventus in his career – not just anyone can get played in sides like that. He’s also been an integral part of Sweden’s side over the last decade, once again showing his ability. His attitude on the pitch might not be to everyone’s liking, but he’s proved to the majority of football fans that he’s good enough to have that attitude.
My point is, it will be very difficult for Faour to live up to the hype in Sweden. It would be very difficult for anyone to live up to that standard, but Faour is a 15-year-old who is unknown to many. How can we possibly know he’ll be that good? He may well have the potential to live up to that speculation, but at this early stage there is no need to put the label on him that he then has to live up to. He’s got years ahead of him before he’s at the level where he’s able to prove that he’s that good, just let him develop now before labeling him. We’ve seen too many players’ careers end up unfulfilled because of over-hyped speculation, and it has to stop, or we’re going to lose lots more young talents.
That’s not to say that the excessive hype is the only thing that prevents these players from succeeding. The players themselves, and their clubs will play a big part. Firstly, the players need to have the mental attributes to make it, with determination and work-rate key in this. They need to be determined to succeed, even when they’re knocked down, and they need the work-rate to progress as a player (ability-wise too). Secondly, the clubs play a big part. The coaches need to be good enough to mentor the player on the pitch, and off it, to make them succeed later on in their careers. The management also needs to let the youngsters have a chance to prove themselves in the first-team, not just buying older, proven players instead of giving the younger players a chance.
A combination of things is required for young players to succeed in their careers, and I’ve talked about them all so far. Mentality, realistic expectations, and supportive clubs are those three. I think that’s why clubs like Barcelona consistently produce good youth players. They build in a good mentality into the players at a young age – the mentality that they have to work hard to get where you want to go – and keep drumming that in. The facilities are club like that are excellent too. You hear about the La Masia academy, and it’s produced some fantastic talents. Lionel Messi, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta have all come through in recent times, as well as many others in the current side and throughout history. In England, we don’t really have this as much, and it shows in our unsuccessful youth sides. We should be taking examples from these types of clubs. Some already have in England, but now it’s time for the other clubs to take knowledge, and maybe, just maybe, England can have a much more successful future on the international stage.
The Blue View 