The outstanding performance dished out by 17-year-old Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament recently in Germany left me smiling with appreciation for the young boy’s natural gift, and surely departed football gods like Pele also turned in their graves not in frustration but in absolute praise for the schoolboy-cum-maestro.
Off the pitch Yamal studied for his school exams right during the Euro 2024 tournament while on the other hand he was causing havoc for seasoned professionals on the soccer pitch come match day.
It has always been my belief that soccer players are at their best around the ages of 16, 17 and 18.
The great Pele of Brazil played the World Cup tournament at the age of 17 and legendary Kaizer Motaung was given a break at the age of 16 at Orlando Pirates.
The likes of Jomo Sono, KK Lentsoane of Moroka Swallows Ltd, Mkhanyiseli Siwahla of Ajax Cape Town, the late Difference Mbanya of Moroka Swallows Big XV and Thomas Madigage of Cosmos and later Bafana Bafana assistant coach, also made their professional soccer debuts as teenagers.
But these days in South Africa boys are not given a chance to strut their stuff against adults on the soccer field.
If Yamal happened to be a South African, he would be serving as a ball-boy today instead of being given a chance to outdribble adults in a professional match.
Despite his evident, impeccable skills, he would have been regarded as still being young to play professionally at the of 16 or 17 in South Africa.
He would have been told by the coach of the senior professional team for which he would be serving as a ball-boy that he is a good player, that his talent is recognised by the team, but would have to wait for a few more years before he could turn professional, just because he was only 16 or 17 years old.
He would have been advised to bide his time; that patience is a virtue and that good things come to those who wait.
It would only be after he had turned 21 years of age that he would be officially signed by the senior team and that would not necessarily translate into game time for him.
Now as the South African soccer season resumes in earnest, let’s hope that South African coaches will have the guts to give a chance to 16, 17,18-year-old boys who are in the junior ranks of their teams.