Special one: Mourinho invited some of the hopefuls
to join in with first-team training at Inter Milan
It started with trials for 7,000 boys, but how do you
find a young player good enough for Jose Mourinho? Where do you
start looking in these shores, among a group of boys some of whom
had been rejected by Plymouth, Port Vale and Bristol
City?
An £8million villa on Lake Como, a seat at the Milan fashion
show ... and ultimately a contract with Inter Milan and Jose
awaited the winner.
Britain has talent: now the search begins?
For Football’s Next Star, I was given the job of mentoring the
chosen 10, the elite group picked by Mourinho’s coaching sidekicks
at trials across the country.
The programme reminds me of how privileged young players are who
have already been signed by clubs in England. I wonder if they know
how lucky they are.
Kids here want the football lifestyle. They want the salary, the
clothes, the cars. But how hungry are they? How many of them are
staying behind after training to work on technique, individual
skills and ball control?
The best footballers are the most dedicated, like Ryan
Giggs.
In the show there were plenty of tears and a reminder of the
sacrifices people make to try to live their dream.
One dad, who is serving in the army in Germany, brought his son
over to one of the trials in front of Mourinho’s coaches. He didn’t
make it.
Another lad questioned if Inter were big enough for him! He
didn’t get through, either.
Watching from the sidelines, I wondered if parents want it more
than some of the boys and give them false hope.
If their children make it in professional football, it will
change the lives of their families, too. But is that enough of an
incentive?
We discovered 10 players good enough to take to Italy to work
with Inter. Telling others, especially the 10 who didn’t make it
through the final stages, was the hard part. The haunting look in
their eyes showed their pain.
When we arrived in Italy, Mourinho was waiting. Inter have a
coffee bar at their training ground, a chef who cooks for the first
team and a dressing room of stars.
One day, Jose came over to our group and said: ‘I need two of
you to train with the first team.’ It made me wish I’d taken my
boots.
They were all there; Patrick Vieira, Samuel Eto’o, Maicon, Lucio
... and two kids who had the chance to show The Special One how
special they were, too.
It’s always an education to see the top coaches in action —
Mourinho was in the thick of it, taking control of his first team
and preparing them for battle. It made me wish I had played for one
of his teams, because it was a chance to see first-hand the
difference he makes.
The Premier League will be a better place if — and when — he
comes back.
For the kids, this wasn’t just about playing well, but playing
under pressure. Every five days, someone else had to be sent
home.
First, a player finds himself in the Danger Zone ... then came
the time to tell him the dream was over.
I’m pleased that since the disappointment of being sent home, a
couple of the boys have got trials with English clubs.
One player in the 10 was sensational, but we soon discovered
that he couldn’t handle being away from home. It was very sad
It reminded me how much of making it is luck. Football’s a hard
game, getting there is even harder. Only a privileged few get to
have a career and Football’s Next Star shows the possibilities —
and the pain.
