The two-day Chennai leg of 'Football Trials '19', India’s biggest football talent search, ended here on Wednesday.
Lijo Francis (19) and Shyjin (19), both midfielders, have been selected from the trials in Chennai. They hail from the village of Eraviputhenthurai in Kanyakumari where Michael Soosairaj of Jamshedpur FC is also from.
The programme which began on January 10 will go on till January 20. Two players each (from both boys & girls, and from across 8 to 20 years of age) from five States - Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana and Maharashtra - will be selected and given an opportunity to train and play for a month in the AD Alcorcon's International Academy in Spain.
Two girls from Bengaluru and one from Kochi have also been selected for the trip.
The programme is being conducted by the Football Plus Professional Soccer Academy and Dumbell, in partnership with the Spanish academy.
The participants are assessed by Jose Gonzalez, Director, International Academy of AD Alcorcon, and Nuria Palomo Leon, a coach from the academy.
Gonzalezsaid the academy is taking the talent hunt next to Mexico and is targeting 22 countries in all. He mentioned two players from India, who are with the club now, have shown great potential. "Aditya (Chennai) and Aryan Gupta (Kolkata) are in the u-23 team. Both are good players. Aditya, especially, is a good striker."
He added the players selected from India stand to immensely gain from the "amazing" training facilities and coaches in the academy. "All the coaches have been with big clubs like Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. This (AD Alcorcon) is a big club in the second division."
He said the Asian players have a lot to improve tactically, something Spanish players are good at. "They (the Asian players) are physically and technically good. But they have to improve tactically - the formations, making good decisions on the field..."
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