Under-15 footballers Ollie Valentine, Zac Ballantyne and Alasdair Tremlett are Barcelona-bound. Photo / Getty Images
Under-15 footballers Ollie Valentine, Zac Ballantyne and Alasdair Tremlett are Barcelona-bound. Photo / Getty Images
Lionel Messi, here we come — youth players headed for Camp Nou.
Twenty young Kiwi footballers have netted the chance of a lifetime — a trip to Spain to train with the mighty Barcelona.
Midfielder Alasdair Tremlett and his mates at Central United U15s are still pinching themselves at the prospect of rubbing shoulders with superstars such as Lionel Messi, Luis Suarezand Neymar.
Auckland City's academy is sending the U15 squad from its feeder club to Barcelona for a fortnight next month.
They will join in 10 training sessions with coaches from the Champions League hotshots, meet the first team squad, including some of football's greatest names, and tour the famous Camp Nou stadium.
They will also play matches against youth teams from other top Spanish clubs, including Espanyol. "This is a one-off opportunity so we have to make the most of it," said Alasdair, 14, from St Heliers.
Lionel Messi. Photo / AP
"I'm sure we will learn a lot from the young Barcelona players as they will be the next generation of stars like Lionel Messi.
"Playing against and training with that kind of quality will also show us the kind of level we need to be at if we want to become professionals. If I get to meet even one of the Barcelona first team players it will be something I will never forget. My favourite player is Suarez."
Alasdair, from Sacred Heart College, reckoned the tour would eclipse a previous trip to England where he played junior teams from Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Southampton. "I would love to make it as a player. The trip to Spain is another step on a good pathway. All the boys from the City team have been talking about nothing else for weeks."
Tour organiser Nardo Yugovich said Auckland City had forged strong ties with the famous Spanish club, and club president Josep Bartomeu had gone out of his way to host the Kiwi youngsters.
The trip costs about $5200 a player. To help cover costs, Auckland City is holding a fundraising comedy and quiz night at the Dalmatian Club in central Auckland next Saturday.
