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Seven of the best players going to South Africa

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    Seven of the best players going to South Africa

    The coaches and scouts who first spotted share their stories of discovery

    Bob Pendleton, the Everton scout who spotted Wayne Rooney when he was an eight-year-old with CopplehouseGuillermo Hoyos, Lionel Messi's youth coach at Barcelona when he stepped off the plane from ArgentinaHermann Gerland, who worked as Bayern Munich's youth coordinator from 1990-1995 and 2001-2009, on Bastian Schweinsteiger

    Bastian was one of Germany's brightest skiing talents when he came to us as a 13-year-old from 1860 Rosenheim but football quickly won out. Five days a week he would get up at six, take a train to school, then a bus to Munich to train with us. By half-eleven was back home. He didn't mind.

    I saw him play quite often as a youngster; he stood out. Things became very serious when he joined the Bayern Munich academy (and boarding school) and played in the "B" youth final 2001 in Dortmund.

    I felt that he didn't quite show enough at the time, at 15 or 16. He didn't recognise the extent of his own talent. He wasn't lazy, you can't say that. But it took him a long time to realise just how much potential he had. Later, when he played in the first youth team, I saw him more and more. At 17 he was already established in our amateur side. I wanted him to improve gradually. Unlike others he would never let a bad game take away from his confidence. He had the soul of a fighter.

    At the time we would line up on the right or left side of midfield. I remember that the youth teams always had Wednesdays off but Basti never took a day off. He was always on the pitch. He was obsessed and eager to learn, and you have to be like that in order to succeed. His talent was exceptional. He had the stamina, he had technique, he had a good shot, only his heading was a problem. I sent him to train with a pendulum for hours in order to improve that side of his game.

    As a teenager he was a bit of joker. At times he didn't do that well but that's normal for a youngster at his age. And in his first year as a professional he sprang one or two surprises off the pitch [when a night guard caught Schweinsteiger and a girl in the training complex Jacuzzi].

    But I like this type of player. He's always in a good mood, friendly and happy. I also don't mind that he can be a bit mischievous off the pitch. We at Bayern want players with character who are clever and bold in the game; we don't want streamlined pros.

    He did some stupid things when he came through as a young professional. But I knew he had his heart in the right place. I liked the fact that he would go and see matches of the amateur or youth teams in his spare time. I was less happy about his penchant for pulling up the socks over his knees, however. I thought he looked like a woman. He grew out of it eventually.

    It's wonderful to see him play so well these days, to see him win all these titles. In his position, defensive midfield next to Mark van Bommel, Basti has become world-class. In 2008 he was a runner-up in the European Championship; in 2006 he was in the side that won the World Cup third-place play-off. Maybe he'll be able to make the next step in South Africa. He's got the goods to achieve that. I'd be really pleased if he did because he's a lovely guy. People ask me if I'm proud of "my" players. I tell them that pride is the wrong word: when you're working with exceptional talents, it's your duty to make them succeed. I'd say I have done my bit to mould Basti. I've been his guide along the way. But I'm only one of many people who have helped him. I don't want the spotlight; others have done just as much.

    Barend Beltman, Arjen Robben's trainer for five years (age 11 till 16)

    I was his trainer for four years. He joined FC Groningen when he was just shy of his 12th birthday. To set the record straight, no one individual can be deemed 'discoverer' of Arjen Robben; he joined our club at a showcase day for talented pupils. I just helped him a little bit during his time with the club. I am not going to take credit and say I told him how to play; his intuition and ingrained sense of play were so good that I just enjoyed the ride.

    One immediately saw the vast potential of the boy: a real lefty who never scored an ugly goal. I only worried about the strength of his body. Would this tiny boy be strong enough to make it in professional football? From the beginning he was really good, sometimes exceptionally good, or downright amazing.

    His third year in our youth academy wasn't an easy one. He had always been a tiny boy. Really tiny. All of a sudden he began to grow and his back became injured in the process. It was as if his body couldn't cope with the power generated as a result of the growth. Arjen couldn't play for weeks, and when he did play it was brief.

    When he finally returned to the team, he tried to do too much on his own. Arjen isn't egoistical, not in the least. It was most likely because he enjoys the game so much, he just wants to go for it, and he's always in attack mode. He showed resilience during these tough times. When things go wrong physically, he always fights his way back.

    Arjen was driven and determined at a young age. He was always on time, never late. But one Friday afternoon he showed up 15 minutes past the start of practice. I asked him what was going on. "We were at the market square, having fun", he said. There were some girls with him and his friends, so I asked, "Was she worth it?" "Yes, trainer, she was", he told me. I told him to get his gear and join the training session. At his wedding, I heard the woman he met that day was now his wife and mother of his children. Bernadien is her name.

    I vividly remember a game in Enschede, played on May 13th, 2000. At half time he had scored six or seven goals and said to me, "Trainer, I've never scored ten goals in a game." "Go ahead and do it", I told him. After he scored his ninth, he zipped past a couple of players, and headed towards the goal. All of a sudden he passed the ball to a player who almost never scored. That play exemplified his true character: a sweet and nice boy and a team player. When he returned to the sidelines I told him, "Now go for ten". Of course, he made the tenth goal. Throughout the game the dugout reverberated. We found out later that a fireworks factory exploded in Enschede, just a couple miles down the road. The explosion had been shaking our dugout. 23 people died that day as a result of the explosion.

    I do follow him, but from a distance. I am not the type of guy who keeps scores or collects news clippings. When I see him, he's always kind. He hasn't changed much since that time and is still the same down-to-earth individual he was when he joined FC Groningen at age 11.

    Is he going to be one of the stars at the World Cup? I don't know. He is one of the best players in the tournament and he'll definitely show the world things we'll show to our kids 20 years from now. Is that enough for Team Orange to make it to the semis or the final? That depends on the other 10 players, our opponents, or sheer luck. I am going to enjoy the matches, that's for sure. I just hope Arjen enjoys the journey and plays with candour.

    Ramon Maddoni, Carlos Tevez's youth coach at Club Parque
    I've learnt it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts


    #2
    EDIT: 6 of the best 7 players going to SA after today.
    The Worker-communist Party of Iran (WPI)
    For the struggle in Iran: "In retrospect, all revolutions seem inevitable. Beforehand, all revolutions seem impossible.
    http://iransolidarity.blogspot.com/
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    http://worker-communistpartyofiran.blogspot.com/
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      #3
      Originally posted by PersianMadrid7 View Post
      EDIT: 6 of the best 7 players going to SA after today.
      It's a pity about Robben. Lets hope he plays some part though?
      I've learnt it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts

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