http://blog.3four3.com/2011/04/17/american-invited-to-join-la-masia/ I hesitate to bring this up, because the player is sooooooooooooooo young. But the attached article is interesting, in that it gives details of the kids trial. Just another name to look out for in the future.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia If you're this kid's family, I don't know how you just pick up and leave to live in Spain. If his family does it for him, they are unbelievably dedicated, but I couldn't blame them if they said no.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia Why don't you put Barcelona in the thread title? That's what the club is after all. Unless you're in the know, "La Masia" could be some mid-table team in Guatemala.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia It's interesting that they didn't have any help for his parents but I guess they still found a way to relocate.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia You may already know this, but.......I doubt that Barca were allowed to offer any help with the move outside of giving advice and making the right introductions. Helping with the move might be seen as some sort of payment which would violate the "trafficking of minors" regulations that FIFA has set out.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia I agree. In sports like gymnastics and figure skating, its not unusual for a parent to move to a new city so their kid can get training by an internationally known coach. Young tennis players have been moving to Bradenton to be trained at Bollitieri for decades. As a parent, even if you do have the desire and means to do so, you have worry that this sends the wrong message to an 11 year old - i.e. the whole world revolves around you.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia Well...........because he's only 11. He's so far from actually playing for Barcelona, that I thought it would be extremely premature to say "Ben Lederman at Barcelona." Technically yes........in reality not really. Has there ever been an American soccer player that's moved to Europe at 11 year old, and actually succeeded? It's still a one in a million shot...................
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia That's right. Or with Bela Carolyi or a bunch of Russian figure skating coaches. I reckon Barcelona has at least a dozen of multimillion dollar sponsors, which would not hesitate to offer a comfortable living wage to the parents of the top tier prospect. Since the kid himself will have his basic training and schooling expenses picked up by the club, this arrangement would not even have to entail a high outlay level. Something under $100K - peanuts for a $500M in revenues club - should do the trick.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia I think its too strong of a statement. How about we love you enough that we will help you pursue your life long dream. Without knowing the parents we really don't know if the kid controls the parents or if the parents are level headed, thoughtful parents who are making a decision based on the opportunity to train with Barcelona, the best football training on the planet. Unfair to conclude anything.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia I can think of a 13 year old! Well, I mean, he was American when he left anyway.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia Then put "youth team" or "youth system" in the title then. Because when it comes right down to it, FC Barcelona is the club that he's with. I mean, how often do we refer to the name of the team's training facilities (that's what "La Masia" is) instead of the team's name? It's a nice idea to want to try and protect the kid, but it also seems like you're trying to have it both ways: wanting to report on an American kid at Barcelona, while at the same time trying to keep it some kind of half-secret. Why bother? It is what it is.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia This was great to hear. An American following in the footsteps of Messi (whose family, father, at least, moved with him to Barcelona after Messi got into the same program at 11 or 12), Xavi, and Iniesta. Of course, he's also following in the footsteps of hundreds of kids who washed out of the program somewhere between the ages of 11 and 23. Still a step forward for American soccer for a kid to even get this experience.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia He's one of the CMs here, I believe. Looks like he has a head start on the Barca style. Nice to see a team playing like this in the US. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzBtx9eEckY"]YouTube - bu 10 soccer[/ame]
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia Barca tries very hard to keep their kids as humble as possible. I think that's evident in their final product. Given their talent and level of relative domination, Barcelona's players really don't commit the sins of bragging and arrogance most others do. As for the thread title, while if it were any other club, we'd name it "Ben Lederman at Club X" and not think twice (or pay attention to the 11 year old), part of me hopes the "in" title keeps the name-brand obsessed away.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia Not really. If you know what La Masia is, that's far more meaningful than just another youth academy. If you don't know what La Masia is, why do you care about the whereabouts of an 11 year old?
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia this part is not true and is an annoying thing about them. they bitch to the media all the time about teams that bunker against them instead of trying to play like them. well obviously teams are going to bunker, barcelona would slaughter them even more if lesser teams tried to play like them. and they always yap in the media about how cesc fabregas has to go back to barcelona, as if it's some divine right.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia I like Barcelona, but they are not humble by any means. They are arrogant off the field, looking down on every other team and telling them about it and when things don't go their way on the field they start buzzing around the referee like angry bees.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia And any other elite team is different? Barcelona's superstars are decidedly more grounded than players of similar status at other big clubs. Give any person that follows the game Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi have them pick which is an a-hole. Arjen Robben vs. Iniesta? Ribery vs. Xavi? Pique vs. Rio Ferdinand? Dani Alves is a jerk, but he was not brought from the academy. The people who start out there as kids are usually nice guys, despite all the celebrity, which you also see in their coach. Yeah, any team that good is going to be kind of arrogant. As long as they are better than everyone else, don't see the problem with it.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia You should follow Guardiola's press conferences to see what kind of attitude is drilled into the La Masia boys. You get the occasional, wow, they didn't even try to play, from a frustrated player. They don't buzz around the ref any more than any other team does in huge games. British homer commentators might have led you to believe otherwise.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia What!? Pique is a huge asshole and Xavi and Iniesta also both played their part in trying to pry Fabregas away from Arsenal. The idea that Barcelona players are humble and that it's drilled into them mostly from La Masia is a complete joke. It's just like any other youth academy out there.
Re: Ben Lederman at La Masia It's far better than any other youth academy out there, though. Eight of its products on the world cup champions, eight of its products are starters for Barcelona. Produced all three of the last balon d'or finalists. It's insane. If they have the same humility as other youth academy products, that's saying something, because they've achieved a hell of a lot more. That "prying Fabregas away from Arsenal" is ironic, because you know where he came from. Ben Lederman just got into Hogwarts. Let's hope more Americans follow him.