![]() My hope is that by highlighting such things, a discussion to address them can begin. The article does however have examples of what I see as wrong with our approach. Let me take this opportunity to say that this article was not written to pour scorn on any local coach, club or administration. It may be argued that none of those countries have won the World Cup, European Championship or Gold Cup but what cannot be argued is they have all started to consistently produce higher quality players and/or routinely qualify for major tournaments. Programs that were floundering are now bearing fruit. I also sought to familiarise myself with the work that countries like Honduras, Belgium, Iceland and England have done to turn their football programs around. (Copyright Franck Fife/AFP 2018/Wired868) Photo: Luxembourg midfielder Danel Sinani (right) tries to contain France midfielder Paul Pogba during World Cup 2018 qualifying action at The Municipal Stadium in Toulouse, France on 3 September 2017. ![]() Later on, as I mulled over the chat, I thought an even better question to test the validity of my point was: How are players developed, and are we following the best practices?įor the purpose of this piece, I have tapped into conversations I held with-and information from-UEFA, USSF and CBF ‘A’ licensed youth coaches in Canada and North America, including Michael Bunel who I met during an International Coaching Symposium in Florida in 2019.īunel is credited with the development of players such as Jean-Alain Boumsong, Paul Pogba, Benjamin Mendy, Dimitri Payet, Lassana Diarra and Riyad Mahrez, who were under his guidance in most cases from 12 -years-old. Have we been developing players? Or were we just blessed with talented players previously and, now, not so much? Photo: Trinidad and Tobago World Cup players Dwight Yorke (top), Dennis Lawrence (right) and Shaka Hislop celebrate after a goalless draw against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup in Dortmund, Germany.Īt the time, I made it clear that I didn’t believe we were producing players. A question on The Burdie and Barney podcast during our discussion with former England Premier League and 2006 World Cup goalkeeper Shaka Hislop lingered long after that episode was over:
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