Real Madrid signs 7 year old.

[MikeAD]

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/new...e-prospect-leo

Very, very interesting..

[JDubs]

I'm missing the point of why they would do that? They are one of the best and richest teams in the world. If the kid develops and becomes a legitimate player, they can be in the running for him if they so choose. Why bother with such an investment now?

I think back to being a kid, and how many kids I grew up with that were the best athletes at 7-8, or 9-10, or even 11-13; yet were not anything special in HS as others matured and developed around them. Or even if they retained their abilities over their peers, they were burned out by playing, or never really enjoyed the games as much as their parents did to begin with.

Just think it is a rather sad thing to burden a kid with that type of pressure. That said, I do have to agree that it is interesting.

Because their rival forced their hand by moving to lock him up in their system. I certainly wouldn't shed any tears for the kid either. He gets world class training at world class facilities, not to mention a good chunk of money.

[gallden]

His family will move there with him also. Barca signed Messi when he was 13. Someone posted an article a while back about Ajax's youth development system. Very interesting read.

[TGO]

I think what people are getting caught up on here is the word "signed." It's unlikely he was given any money. However, what he will get is free coaching and free tutoring. So the investment on the team's part is in providing the facilities and personnel. It is a gamble for them but if they have one star come out of the program and make millions on his transfer it might pay for several years worth of the academy.

Many European football clubs have academies where they invite kids as young as 7 or so. This kid is the youngest that Real has invited but other clubs have had 7-year olds. The kids are "signed" in the sense that as long as they continue to be invited back every year, they agree to remain in the program and not go to another team. At the end of each year the club decides which kids will continue on. Some kids who are let go wind up going to a lesser club's academy. Some go home.

I agree that it's weird that they take kids as young as 7, though.

[JDubs]

Their rival did not force their hand. He's 7 years old. They are one of the 5 best teams in the World and will remain as such for the foreseeable future. They will always have their pick of the best players throughout the world, without having to spend money and time trying to develop a child that will likely never amount to anything.

The kid (and his family) get something out of the deal, sure. The kid also gets deprived of being a kid. Those situations don't usually end well.

Did you read it? The other team was going to sign him. If they wanted him, then they were forced to act. No need for outrage. Seems like a good thing for all parties.
As for being deprived of a childhood...it's soccer. A game. And it comes with the added bonus of moving from poor circumstances to vastly improved circumstances. I'm not sure what the problem is.

[gallden]

Here is some insight to Barca's academy I'm sure Real's is similar. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/mosl...sis--free.html

[Remember The Alomar]

Soccer is much different that football and baseball in terms of player development--trials like aren't that uncommon. Real Madrid's rival Barcelona does this all the time. There's a good NYT article about their youth academy La Masia. Worth a read.

[gallden]

I didn't need to read it, you are making a specific point against a general argument. The idea that Real Madrid needed to sign a 7 year old because Barcelona might have gotten him first is illogical. He is 7, and likely won't ever be anything.

Some of the others in this thread have made better points. I do understand the Academy system in Europe for Soccer is vastly different than anything we have in North America for team sports (reminds me more of how we operate with some of our Olympic type sports).

Just making a very general point that a professional team (and certainly one as glamorous as Read Madrid) signing a 7 year old is just odd at best. Though I will take what TGO said, and understand that there was likely little/no money here.

How much better would Real Madrid be now if they would have signed the 13 yr old Messi instead of Barca signing him. But you're right these players most always don't turn out, but sometimes they do.