 |
| ◇photo source=John Martinez SNS |
|
 |
| ◇photo source=John Martinez SNS |
|
European big clubs are paying keen attention to a young player who has not even made his professional debut yet.
British sports media Team Talk reported on the 23rd (Korea time) 'Liverpool, Manchester City, Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and Parma are competing to recruit 15-year-old midfielder Johan Martinez from Ecuador'
Martinez is a player who plays for the Independente delbaye youth team. Although it is still before its professional debut, it is considered the best prospect in South America as he has performed impressively in all aspects such as dribbling, technology, and speed. TeamTalk said 'European scouts continue to keep an eye on Martinez locally' and that the next few weeks and months will be key times to determine his future'
 |
| ◇photo source=John Martinez SNS |
|
 |
| ◇photo source=John Martinez SNS |
|
Martinez's live-action video is surprising. In addition to using both feet freely, he shows excellent speed and individual skills even at a tall height. It is also impressive to see the scene where three to four opposing teams break through the concentration mark with a simple dribble. Despite this, the fact that he is only 15 years old is a factor that European clubs are bound to pay attention to.
This interest in Martinez looks similar to Lionel Messi when he was a youth.
Messi, who stood out in the New Wells Old Voice youth team, also received attention from many big clubs in Europe. However, at that time, there were not many cases of recruiting young players early, so many clubs only watched and did not make any practical moves. In the meantime, it is a famous anecdote that Barcelona technical director Carles Rexach met Messi's parents at a restaurant and successfully made a napkin contract and recruited them. The napkin contract between Barcelona and Messi was auctioned and sold for 762,400 pounds (about 1.4 billion won).
 |
| APYonhap News |
|
Messi is the only player who has stood out in the 21st century soccer world who has been courted by big clubs since the youth stage. Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Elling Holan, all considered top talents, have taken the step of moving to big clubs since debuting for their own professional teams. Messi made his debut in the first division after moving from Newell's to the Barcelona Youth Team. If you look at the interest that continues to this day, Martinez is likely to succeed Messi.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
