Brazils scouts search for future Neymars
AFP
AFP, RIO DE JANEIRO: At a trial for youngsters at Rio de Janeiros Vasco de Gama football club, Vanessa Dias pushed through the bushes to glimpse her 12-year-old son Caua, nervously hoping that hed just taken his first step to the big time. About 200 other children aged nine to 17 were taking part in the trial on a basic football pitch in northern Rio under the watch of scouts from the club, one of Brazils biggest.
Parents werent allowed in, but some climbed a hill through undergrowth to try to see the field anyway.
Im ready to make any sacrifice. Im unemployed and sometimes I dont have enough to pay for transport, but I always get by with a loan here and there, Dias, 33, said.
Her son actually supports Vascos big rivals Flamengo, but hes trying to play a bigger game now than mere fandom: getting a shot at becoming a future star himself.
Becoming the next Neymar is the dream of many in a country mad about football and with no shortage of talented youngsters from poor backgrounds hungry for a chance.
But theres nothing easy about getting there.
Vascos head scout Uerner Leonardo Passos said even in this first set of trials, only 10 percent of the boys will pass before going to a new series of tests at the club headquarters.
Trials last three days and take place every month, divided into age groups where children get an opportunity to show off their skills in 20-minute games.
Ronaldo Faria, a Vasco scout, has a good idea of what hes looking for: his brother is World Cup winner Romario, the clubs biggest ever find.
The secret of Brazilian football is the favelas, with kids playing on the streets and on rough pitches, he said, referring to the hard-scrabble, often violent neighborhoods where many Brazilians grow up with little more than dreams of getting out.
Vasco puts a big emphasis on scouring those favelas for talent.
Our scouts often go to the favelas and they keep a network of contacts who will tell them if theres a kid showing potential, said Luiz Rangel, from Vascos talent spotting department.
Jacy Oliveira, who lives in Rios Piedade neighborhood, brought four local boys along to the trial.
Many good players dont even get a chance for a trial because they dont have the money for transport, said Oliveira, who uses his own money in the hope of finding a new talent to boost his own scouting career.
For now, Ive had nothing but expenses but Im sure that Ill come across a shining star, he said.
Among the boys playing that day, just one really stood out for Ronaldo Faria -- a nine-year-old called Felipe who dribbled past older and bigger opponents with ease.
His twin brother Fernando, however, looked so nervous that he was having trouble performing at all.
Dont be afraid, one of the trial organizers told him. Just be normal, play as if you were in the street with your brother.
What scouts want to see are players with talent but able to play in a team without too much individualism. They have another problem, though, and thats the lack of freedom in children already trying to copy adult systems.
