9 year-old Mayoman set for Real Madrid

Vurnon San Benito · 13-04-2012 4:08pm #1

Seen it in the paper today - pretty remarkable achievement has to be said.

Ballyhaunis Native Joins Real Madrid
Grandson of Michael Finn, Devlis, John Finn has been asked to join Real Madrid Youth Academy. He recently had trials and was successful. We would like to congratulate him and wish him all the best for the future.

I'm sure we'll hear more about him in the future, great to hear though. He must be something special!

Redzer7 · 13-04-2012 4:12pm

Gonna need a lot of sun block.

doncarlos · 13-04-2012 4:12pm

Doocey wrote: »

Seen it in the paper today - pretty remarkable achievement has to be said.

I'm sure we'll hear more about him in the future, great to hear though. He must be something special!

I think it's pretty disgusting to be honest.

Fizman · 13-04-2012 4:16pm

I've heard of peaking too soon, but Jaysus!

GavRedKing · 13-04-2012 4:19pm

Well done, but the way clubs like Real can hoover up talent from across the world he will need a lot of talent and luck to make it Real Madrid.

eagle eye · 13-04-2012 4:19pm

doncarlos wrote: »

I think it's pretty disgusting to be honest.

We really don't know whether its a good thing or not tbf. If his parents are unemployed and they are moving out there and getting jobs then its probably a great thing for the kid and his family.

doncarlos · 13-04-2012 4:26pm

eagle eye wrote: »

We really don't know whether its a good thing or not tbf. If his parents are unemployed and they are moving out there and getting jobs then its probably a great thing for the kid and his family.

Yes but if they're uprooting one of the parents to live over there like what has happened in the UK only to be discarded if he doesn't develop at the same level as his teammates this is a different matter. I hate to see things like this. Forget about losing talented players to foreign leagues this exploitation that would not be allowed in any other industry.

CongoPowers · 13-04-2012 4:28pm

Future star at Getafe!

Dub XV · 13-04-2012 4:29pm

If Real believe he is a future star they will move the family over and find them employment. The young lad is then a commodity.

MagicMarker · 13-04-2012 4:30pm

OMG I'm so happy, thank you for sharing this joyous news.

kitakyushu · 13-04-2012 4:34pm

Doocey wrote: »

9 year-old Mayoman

It's just a pity they didn't sign him when he was a five year old teenager.

LuckyLloyd · 13-04-2012 4:36pm

The overwhelming liklehood is that he will never be offered a professional contract. I only hope his family remain grounded and aware of the expected outcome.

eagle eye · 13-04-2012 4:38pm

kitakyushu wrote: »

It's just a pity they didn't sign him when he was a five year old teenager.

How did you manage to quote me with that comment

kitakyushu · 13-04-2012 4:40pm

eagle eye wrote: »

How did you manage to quote me with that comment

No idea. I'll change it now before the lawyers are called.

Eathrin · 13-04-2012 4:43pm

No need to be pessimistic lads, just wish him all the best and trust he and his family will make the right decisions. Nobody's forcing anybody to do anything.

stovelid · 13-04-2012 4:43pm

The scattergun approach used to be confined to England. Hoover up thousands of kids nearly all who will not even get a chance to impress and end up back here, disillusioned with the game. Even worse now is they are taking children rather than teenagers.

Can't blame the parents for saying no but It's a pity kids cannot develop a little longer in their home leagues.

CSF · 13-04-2012 4:44pm

This is wrong.

kincsem · 13-04-2012 4:47pm

Child labour.

Rekop dog · 13-04-2012 5:01pm

Can't see too much wrong with it tbh. Probably the best country in the world currently for a kid to go to maximize their footballing talent giving how much emphasis they put on the technical side of the game from a young age.

I know if I had the choice of growing up in the west or Madrid which one I'd choose.

Vurnon San Benito · 13-04-2012 5:03pm

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

The overwhelming liklehood is that he will never be offered a professional contract. I only hope his family remain grounded and aware of the expected outcome.

Correct - however there is quite a strong possibility he will make it at a professional level in some league.

Mars Bar · 13-04-2012 5:04pm

I'm sure this decision for his family wasn't taken lightly.

This child will learn a new culture, new language and meet loads of different people.
So long as he is still being schooled adequately over there then I really see no problem.

If the kid is a genuine talent which appears to be the case, then he'll get far better coaching over there than here or in England.

stovelid · 13-04-2012 5:07pm

People seem to approach this as if the kid is nailed on to make it and will flower there in the environment.

The overwhelming majority will just come back as a failure and burned out at a young age and drop out of competitive football completely despite a few being good enough to make even a modest living in the game.

The recent profile of the league here has seen a fair few players get a second chance at the top level of the game despite being adjudged to have not been good enough first time around.

Football should be about players and their own league not a factory for producing players for top clubs.

Rekop dog · 13-04-2012 5:13pm

stovelid wrote: »

People seem to approach this as if the kid is nailed on to make it and will flower there in the environment.

The overwhelming majority will just come back as a failure and burned out at a young age and drop out of competitive football completely despite a few being good enough to make even a modest living in the game.

The recent profile of the league here has seen a fair few players get a second chance at the top level of the game despite being adjudged to have not been good enough first time around.

Football should be about players and their own league not a factory for producing players for top clubs.

Nobody is saying he's nailed on to make it at all, but the likelihood of progression is certainly higher than most would have giving the world class training he'll receive from a young age.

SantryRed · 13-04-2012 5:14pm

Doocey wrote: »

Correct - however there is quite a strong possibility he will make it at a professional level in some league.

What? :pac:

There is no way a string possibility if he's let go at 14 or something. So many things can happen from 9 to even 15. It's retarded that they can sign a 9 year old from Ireland. Nuts!

CSF · 13-04-2012 5:17pm

stovelid wrote: »

People seem to approach this as if the kid is nailed on to make it and will flower there in the environment.

The overwhelming majority will just come back as a failure and burned out at a young age and drop out of competitive football completely despite a few being good enough to make even a modest living in the game.

The recent profile of the league here has seen a fair few players get a second chance at the top level of the game despite being adjudged to have not been good enough first time around.

Football should be about players and their own league not a factory for producing players for top clubs.

This is one of those things that you really don't fully understand until you see it first hand.

All people see is the youths who do blossom and make it, or at worst end up playing in the lower leagues. Those who don't make it simply fall off the footballing radar.

The visible will always outweigh the invisible in human perceptions so its natural that people don't see the flipside.

CSF · 13-04-2012 5:22pm

Rekop dog wrote: »

stovelid wrote: »

People seem to approach this as if the kid is nailed on to make it and will flower there in the environment.

The overwhelming majority will just come back as a failure and burned out at a young age and drop out of competitive football completely despite a few being good enough to make even a modest living in the game.

The recent profile of the league here has seen a fair few players get a second chance at the top level of the game despite being adjudged to have not been good enough first time around.

Football should be about players and their own league not a factory for producing players for top clubs.

Nobody is saying he's nailed on to make at all, but the likelihood of progression is certainly higher than most would have giving the world class training he'll receive from a young age.

You'd think so, but not really. I'd back a child of similar natural ability of that age to do better staying in a stable environment (not being parachuted into a new world with a new language, new life, new everything). I think if you go through the majority of pro footballers you'll find very few that left anywhere near that young, and especially not that big a change.

UnitedIrishman · 13-04-2012 5:25pm

To be honest, I'm from not far from Ballyhaunis - I'd be looking for any way out and Madrid is like dying and going to heaven, jobs or not!

Best of luck to the lad, hadn't heard of him before in local news or anything but he must be handy. I'm sure his parents will ensure he gets a good education whilst out there, something that is lacking in the English game.

plasmaguy · 13-04-2012 5:28pm

doncarlos wrote: »

I think it's pretty disgusting to be honest.

Hmm..I think Messi joined Barca at around aged 9 or 10. So also Fabrigas and most of their current golden generation.

Was that disgusting too?

It's definitely hard, but if it was my son, I'd say go for it.

Opportunity of a lifetime, and provided they look after his education, then no issues with it whatsoever.

Definitely prefer a life in Madrid to one in Ballyhaunis!

CSF · 13-04-2012 5:33pm

plasmaguy wrote: »

doncarlos wrote: »

I think it's pretty disgusting to be honest.

Hmm..I think Messi joined Barca at around aged 9 or 10. So also Fabrigas and most of their current golden generation.

Was that disgusting too?

In Messi's case, yes definitely. I don't know exactly where Fabregas, Xavi and co are from or how young they moved but either way its not the same.

meriwether · 13-04-2012 5:41pm

stovelid wrote: »

People seem to approach this as if the kid is nailed on to make it and will flower there in the environment.

The overwhelming majority will just come back as a failure and burned out at a young age and drop out of competitive football completely despite a few being good enough to make even a modest living in the game.

The recent profile of the league here has seen a fair few players get a second chance at the top level of the game despite being adjudged to have not been good enough first time around.

Football should be about players and their own league not a factory for producing players for top clubs.

Its not a factory.

No player is made go anywhere he doesn't want to.

If a player is in a foreign league, you can be pretty sure he wanted to go.

Your post is more wishful thinking that all Irish players would stay and play in the Irish league than actually based on reality.

CSF · 13-04-2012 5:43pm

meriwether wrote: »

stovelid wrote: »

People seem to approach this as if the kid is nailed on to make it and will flower there in the environment.

The overwhelming majority will just come back as a failure and burned out at a young age and drop out of competitive football completely despite a few being good enough to make even a modest living in the game.

The recent profile of the league here has seen a fair few players get a second chance at the top level of the game despite being adjudged to have not been good enough first time around.

Football should be about players and their own league not a factory for producing players for top clubs.

Its not a factory.

No player is made go anywhere he doesn't want to.

If a player is in a foreign league, you can be pretty sure he wanted to go.

Your post is more wishful thinking that all Irish players would stay and play in the Irish league than actually based on reality.

You're completely utterly wrong. He isn't a footballer, he is a child.

9 year-old Mayoman set for Real Madrid

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