The Away Game
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in Doha, 79, 82
family of, 29, 31, 240, 246
and Football Dreams, 62, 66, 87, 97, 99, 101, 125–27, 142, 234
and Ibrahima, 125–27, 131, 138, 139–40, 181, 237
leadership ability of, 33, 48, 83, 131, 143–44, 149, 157–58, 162–63, 169, 188, 189, 216, 218, 246
and Messi, 85–86
personal qualities of, 83, 246
and player transfers, 189, 190, 199, 202
and Serigne Mbaye, 153–54, 155, 157
talent of, 31, 35, 36, 48, 246
Diambars, 58, 127–28, 129
Diaw, Ndongo, 84, 151, 159
Diedhiou, Ibrahama, 206
Doha, soccer facilities in, 65–67, 66, 80, 85, 101, 122, 127, 189, 207, 251
Dragon FC, 15
Dramé, Ibrahima, 50–55, 54, 144, 163, 168–82, 237–43, 242
approached by recruiters, 174–75, 177, 238
and Colomer, 123–24, 129, 131, 175–76, 181, 237
in competitions, 138, 139–40, 142–43, 168–72
departure from Aspire, 174–82, 188, 238, 241–42, 243, 246–47
and Diawandou, 125–27, 131, 138, 139–40, 181, 237
family background of, 51–53
in Norway, 239–41
in Senegal, 127, 141, 142, 150, 237–39
and Serigne Mbaye, 154, 156, 158
talent of, 50, 126, 238
and tryouts, 55, 61–62
Dramé, Moussa, 51–52
Dramé, Oumou, 52, 53, 61, 178, 181, 182, 184, 240, 256
Dramé, Sekou, 52, 61–62, 126, 240
Drogba, Didier, xiii, 50, 57, 82, 182, 199
Duah, Thomas, 227
Dweck, Carol, 44
Eboué, Emmanuel, 201
El Wak stadium, 147
Emerson (Brazilian soccer player), 111
Emmanuel, Forewah, 83, 100, 106, 183, 192, 211
England:
academy system in, 46
Premier League in, xiii, 38, 39, 45, 112, 136, 137, 174, 178, 257
Enrique, Luis, 186, 252, 253
Epstein, David, 17, 136–37
Ericsson, K. Anders, 136
Espanyol, 170, 187
Essien, Michael, 141
Eto’o, Samuel, xiii, 56, 182, 186
Eupen, Belgium, 195–99, 200, 203–7, 205, 234, 235
Eupen Pandas, 192, 199–201, 202–3, 207–20, 254, 258
Europe:
African player transfers to, 117, 141–42, 185–92, 223, 241
colonial ties to Africa, 95
as dream of young African players, 111, 115, 129, 147, 175, 178, 207, 209, 223, 250–51, 253
restrictive rules in, 197
scouting techniques of, 142
European Championship, (2000), 22
European Cup, 132
European Union, 95
Evers, Thomas, 199
Everton, 169
Exposito, Manel, 213
Falcao, Radamel, 169
FC Porto, 85, 86, 88
Felagha, John, 99–100, 103, 107, 122, 130, 189, 204, 209–10
Fellaini, Marouane, 174
FIFA:
and age testing, 167
bureaucracy of, 94
and illicit trade in soccer youth, 97, 186
restrictions imposed by, 57, 60, 74, 95, 96, 110–11, 115–16, 123, 186, 188, 198
and World Cup, 147
Flamengo, 20–21
Football Dreams, 86
and age testing, 164, 165, 166, 167
and Aspire Academy, 10, 13, 54, 61, 85, 89, 97–98, 100, 105, 115, 122–24, 147, 188, 207, 245, 255–59
barriers to success in, 122
in Belgium, 203–9, 205
birth of, 78, 80, 105, 123, 124
Brazil-Aspire game, 98–101
in competitions, 138–39, 143, 148, 203
cost-effectiveness of, 256–57
critics of, 94–98, 243–45
discontinuance of, 255–59
and Doha facilities, 66, 82
as experiment, xix, 46, 258
and FIFA rules, 96, 111
in Ghana, 11–16, 24–26, 114, 144, 146–47
in Ivory Coast, 81
lack of success, 245–47, 257
and Milk Cup, 169–72, 173, 181
and national teams, 142, 234
original aims abandoned, 123, 256–57
and player licenses, 117–21
players’ frustrations with, 178–80, 222, 245
and player stipends, 116, 205–6
and player transfers, 185–86, 188, 192, 199, 201, 202, 204
in Qatar, 10–11, 71, 77, 81, 87, 88, 97–98, 100, 103, 110, 122–24, 147, 258
and reality TV show, 80
reputation of, 138–39
scope of activities, xix, 118
in Senegal, 28–29, 33–34, 48–49, 50–51, 54, 56, 61, 101, 122, 127–28, 130–32, 130, 138, 139, 142
and soccer scouts, 175
talent searches held by, xi, 6, 8, 11–16, 24, 35, 46, 96, 110, 185
world-class teams as goal of, 61, 78
Footbonaut, 135
Foot Solidaire, 94, 96
France, youth academy system in, 22–23
game intelligence, 19, 23, 35–41, 43, 44–45, 132–35, 154
game intelligence modeling, 247–49
Generation Foot, 58
genetic differences, 137
Gervinho [Gervais Yao Kouassi], 201
Ghana:
and Africa Cup of Nations, 142
Bernard’s losses in, 145–47
Football Dreams in, 11–16, 24–26, 114, 144, 146–47
“justify” (tryout) in, 12
playoff with Senegal, 147–60
soccer academies in, 58
soccer players from, 113
Ghana Football Association, 117, 119
Giggs, Ryan, 169
Gladwell, Malcolm, 136
Glover, Helen, 17
Gold Mine Effect, The (Ankersen), 20, 32, 137–38
Gothia Cup, 224
Gratacós, Pere, 24, 152
Great Depression (1920s and 1930s), 68
Great Palmas, 105
growth rates, 22
Guardiola, Pep, 73, 132
Gueye, Cheikh, 28–29, 32, 162
Gueye, Khadidiatou, 29
Guillou, Jean-Marc, 201–2
Hearts of Oak, 227
Henkel, Christoph, 200, 201, 203, 207
Henry, Thierry, 23
Hernández Creus, Xavier “Xavi,” 22, 41, 92, 251, 253
Honefoss BK, 241
“Hoop Dreams” (documentary), 80
Hudson, Ray, 133, 248
Ibrahimovic´, Zlatan, 50
Iniesta Luján, Andrés, 22, 36, 41, 236, 251, 253
Issah, Adama, 79, 87, 98, 99, 100, 103, 113, 122, 176
Italy, competition in, 138–39
Iturriaga Barco, Ángel, 252
Ivory Coast:
Football Dreams in, 81
national team of, 167
soccer clubs in, 57–58
James, LeBron, 36
Jeanne d’Arc club, 138
Kahneman, Daniel, 133–34
Kaina, Oumarou, 172, 181
KAS Eupen, 196, 196–98, 214–15, 235
King Solomon club, 227
Kinyeki, Wendy, 81, 131, 154, 155, 156, 159, 180, 238
Komey, Eugene, 15–16, 24–25, 26, 114, 165–66, 232
Konboye, Clemente, ix–x, xiv, xvi–xvii, 259
KRC Genk, 229
KSK Beveren, 201–2
Kuper, Simon, 58
KVC Westerlo, 215–18
La Liga, 257
La Masia training academy, 100, 132–33
Lartey, Joshua, 6
Laye, Baye, 30, 162
Lazio, 115
leeches, use in medicine, 249
leg power, measurement of, 47
Lillestrom SK, 224, 226
Lions of Teranga, 141, 142, 234
Lô, Yo
uanidou, 152, 153, 159
Lukaku, Romelu, 174, 178, 179
Lusitana, Étoile, 170
Madoff, Bernie, 198
Major League Soccer (U.S.), xiii
Malu, Godwin, 212
Manchester City, 43–44, 196
Manchester United, 65, 135, 169–72, 239, 241, 256
Mane, Abdulkarim, 191
Mané, Sadio, xiii
Manso, Frimpong, 144–45, 146–47, 148
Maradona, Diego, 37, 50, 74
Marquez, “Tintin,” 187, 190, 201, 202, 208, 210–11, 212, 215–16, 217–18, 220
Mascherano, Javier, 208–9
Mbaye, Serigne, 150–60, 154, 190–91, 256
Mbour Petit Côte, 191
Mbvoumin, Jean-Claude, 94, 96, 97–98
Mediterranean International Cup, 170
Mensah, Rev. James, 8, 222, 226
Messi (Balague), 21
Messi, Antoine, 103, 110, 123, 186
Messi, Lionel, 75, 86, 99, 132, 152, 209, 221, 234, 248, 251, 253, 256
and Colomer, ix, xiv–xv, 15, 27, 85, 120, 225, 254
fans of, 15, 85–87, 212, 251
looking for the next Messi, xi, xx, 14, 16, 24, 27, 39, 74, 89, 100, 112, 114, 121, 250, 258
natural talent of, 42–43
perseverance of, 20, 43
size of, 14, 21, 22, 43, 50
techniques of, 21, 22, 252
as “the Flea,” 21
young players compared to, 79, 88, 227
Michels, Rinus, 132
Mikel, John Obi, 141
Milk Cup (2011), 168–92, 173, 237, 239, 241, 242, 243
Miracle Land, 228, 229, 230, 232
Mombaerts, Erick, 133
Moneyball, 91, 247
Monrovia FC, 223
motion perception, 135
Mourinho, José, 170
Mulberry, Joe, 164–65, 245
Music Academy of West Berlin, 136
Myrer, Wilhelm, 223–24
nature vs. nurture, 16, 20, 137
Ndiaye, Bousso, 31, 32–34, 48, 81, 83, 97
Ndiaye, Samba, 150, 206
N’Dour, Youssou, 60
Ndoye, Babacar, 150, 171, 183
Neeson, Liam, 168
NeuroTracker, 135
Nevin, Paul, 111–12, 115
Neymar [da Silva Santos Junior], 99–100, 139, 186, 212, 231, 250, 251, 252, 253
Ngom, Babacar, 127, 143, 156
Niang, Fallou, 140, 174, 177, 178, 183
Niasse, Babacar, 148
Nigeria:
militants in, ix–xi
oil in, x, xvii
scouting in, 99, 100
Under-17 World Cup (2009), 161
Northern Ireland, Milk Cup match in, 168–92
Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament, 168
North Yard Analytics, 93
Norway, African players in, 239–43
Novara, 184
Nowhere Men, The (Calvin), 9, 45
Numbers Game, The (Anderson et al.), 91, 208, 249
OH Leuven, 218–19
Olympic Games:
(2012), 17
(2016), 17
Onyekuru, Henry, 258
Oteng, Justice, and Bernard, 3, 6, 7, 8, 13, 24, 26, 27, 116–21, 146–47, 222, 223, 227, 228, 232
Ottoman Empire, and Qatar, 67
Outliers (Gladwell), 136
Paris Saint-Germain, 196, 199
peak height velocity test, 46–47
Pelé, xi, 50, 58, 74, 78, 161
Pele, Abedi, 113, 223
Pelzer, Raphael, 214
Petrovic, Nenad, 175, 178, 183–84
Piqué, Gerard, 21, 250
Power, Paul, 248
Premier League, xiii, 38, 39, 45, 112, 136, 137, 174, 178, 257
Prozone, 247–48, 249
Qatar, 9–11, 67–71
Aspire Academy in, 71–78, 81, 97, 101, 103–4, 107, 108–9, 115–16, 122–23, 127, 144, 251
Bedouins in, 68
camel racing in, 73
Doha facilities in, see Doha
falconry in, 73
as family business, 73
and FIFA rules, 96, 123, 147
and Football Dreams, 10–11, 71, 77, 81, 87, 88, 97–98, 100, 103, 110, 122–24, 147, 258
Gondolonia amusement park in, 107–8
influence of, 147
and KAS Eupen, 196–99, 214
Muslim conservatism in, 78
national team of, 97, 110–11, 123, 188
obesity in, 74
oil and gas in, 9, 68–69, 73
population in, 67, 69
search for soccer players by, 10, 55, 74, 78
Sheikh’s interest in soccer, 71–78
soccer culture lacking in, 74, 108, 122
soccer introduced in, 71, 73
soccer players in, 75, 108–9, 115–16, 123
soccer players naturalized by, 74, 97, 110–11, 123, 188
soccer teams bought by, 196, 200, 214
soccer tryouts in, 55
Souq Waqif (market) in, 68, 70
Villaggio mall in, 102–3, 107–8
wealth of, 9–10, 68–70, 72–73, 110, 252, 255–56
welfare system in, 70
and World Cup (2022), 9, 10, 97, 147, 202, 243
“years of hunger” in, 68
Qatar Airways, 254
Radermacher, Michael, 198, 199–200, 204
Real Madrid, 80, 87, 88, 116, 139, 142, 256
Red Devils, 169–71, 239
Right to Dream, 58, 164, 245
Rijsenburg, Arnold, 173–75, 177–78, 181, 183, 189
Ronaldo, Cristiano, 21, 25, 42, 109, 112, 120, 256
Rooney, Wayne, 169
Rosell, Sandro, 185, 186
Rovira, Jordi, 154–55, 175, 211
Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz, 219
Saar, Siddy, 191
Säffle FF, 224–25, 226
Sagna, George, 59, 179–80, 238
Saly, Senegal, 128–29, 159
Sam, Andy, 26, 76–77, 117, 118–21, 122, 146–47, 222
Savané, Lamine, 56, 59–61, 77, 78, 80, 139, 152–53, 155, 157, 177, 179–80, 182, 210, 211–12, 243
Scholes, Paul, 169
Schuller, Peter, 200
Schumacher, Manfred, 201
Science and Soccer (Williams), 20, 43
Scolari, Luiz Felipe, 77
scouting, 8–9, 16–27
and administrative infrastructure, 58
and age, 19, 42, 46–47, 164–65
computer programs for, 14, 93
difficulty in, 41–42, 43, 89, 94, 164
game intelligence, 19, 23, 35–41, 44–45, 47
growth mindset in, 44
intuition in, 44, 91, 92, 164, 244, 249
and national teams, 141, 142
nature vs. nurture, 16, 20
and nurturing talent, 58
personality, 23, 44–45, 47
and physical tests, 47
physical traits, 18–19
player’s height, 18, 50
psychological factors, 23–24, 42–44
risks taken in, 21, 246–47, 258
speed, 18–19, 44
statistical analysis in, 91–93, 249
SUBS, 44
TABS, 44
talent identification, 41, 44
techniques in, 5–7, 19, 22–24, 41, 44, 47, 114–15, 175, 182, 189
and technology, 247–49, 257
TIPS, 44
SD Huesca, 253–54
Seck, Saer, 162
Seidu, Farouck, 119–20
Senegal:
and Africa Cup of Nations, 142, 148, 163, 169, 190, 210, 225
CNEPS in, 31, 32
competitions in, 47–49, 138
Diambars in, 127–28, 129
flag of, 51
Football Dreams in, 28–29, 33–34, 48–49, 50–51, 54, 56, 61, 101, 122–23, 127–28, 130–32, 130, 139, 142, 243
French influence in, 30
mbalax music i
n, 60
Muslim population in, 30
national team of, 141, 142, 143, 156, 234, 239
playoff with Ghana, 147–60
sex tourism in, 128
soccer academies in, 58
soccer talent in, 56, 59, 60, 169
Under-17 national team, 143–44, 144
Senegal Cup (2013), 239
Senghor, Léopold Sédar, 47
Shoja, Innocent, 171
Silva, Luis Miguel, 109
Simelela, Happy, 84
Simon, Herbert, 134
SK Brann, 239, 240
skeleton (winter sport), 17
soccer:
attacking, 132, 203, 212
cognitive skills in, 135
competition in, 113
corruption and bribes in, 147
defined as “religion in search of a God,” xi–xii
expert intuition in, 134
game intelligence in, 36–41, 43, 132–35, 247
globalization of, xiii, xix, 11, 58
increasingly fast game, 19
luck in, 15, 92
national teams in, 110–11, 141, 258
pickup games, xii, 38–39, 43, 133, 137, 138
practice time, 136–37
probability in, 92
professional industry of, 257
racism in, 200
records in, 13–14
scouting for players, see scouting
skills for, 44
small-sided games, 133
statistics in, 91–93, 247–49
target man in, 50
Total Football, 132
training methods, 132–33, 135–37
TV revenue from, 95
in U.S., xiii
soccer coaches:
picking soccer stars, 11, 14
and player transfers, 118
scouting by, see scouting
at soccer schools, 58, 109
young players living with, 6–7, 27
Soccernomics (Kuper and Szymanski), 58
soccer players:
attention window of, 40
background of poverty, 32
design fluency in, 40
education of, 46, 212–13, 257
executive function of, 40–41
game intelligence of, 19, 23, 35–41, 44–45
hopes and expectations of, 122, 142–43, 242, 244–45, 251, 257
illicit trade in, 94–98
in new social milieu, 203–7
and racism, 200
returning home, 121–22, 146, 176, 185, 190, 210–12, 226, 237–38, 243–45, 257
sending money home, 206
and sting of failure, 46
and stress of competition, 203, 207
success rate of, 45
switching nationalities, 74, 97, 110–11, 123, 188
youth, see youth soccer players
Solano, Roberto, 78
Sostres, Ramón, 235–36
Spain, competitions in, 139
SpeedCourt, 135
Sporting Giants, 16–17
sports, data analysis in, 91–93
Sports Gene, The (Epstein), 17, 136–37
sports scientists, 46–47
Standard Liège, 174
Star Park, 8, 12, 14, 24, 27
StatDNA, 91