Barcelona signs Ben Lederman to academy

Lederman opens the scoring in a 2-0 win against Sporting:

(1-0) Gol de Ben Lederman - Barcelona

Two days ago Barcelona's Alevín A team beat Real Sociedad 6-1 to win the Concello de Carballo Memorial José Luis Vara Tournament. Lederman had one of the goals:

http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notici...leva-torneo-carballes/0003_201206C25C6991.htm

According to Barcelona USA's website

http://www.barcelonausa.com/

Nice to see Lederman is already is with YNTs, though I'm not sure which camp he actually attended. There have been plenty going on at the HDC.

Ben attended the new U14 BNT cycle from Aug. 5-12
http://www.ussoccer.com/News/U-14-N...ects-50-Players-for-August-Training-Camp.aspx
He was not in the original list. He arrived later on during the week as a substitute for some kids that left for personal reasons. He participated on the last scrimmage games on Saturday.

that dude on the very left with the faux hawk looked impressive in those Barcelona videos.

Ben is 12 now?

Really, just a common sense. Too bad Villareal and Benfica did't figure it out. They definitely should hire you as a business adviser.

United! How well are Cooper, Spector, and Howard doing in Manchester?

You are a genius, you should become Brian Ching agent and sell him to Barca. They will get the whole American market, the whole Asian market and South Pacific market as a bonus.

the likelihood of him being poached by another club that could offer playing time is more likely than him playing at barca. that being said he will likely have the best chance at playing for a top 10 club in the world of all americans

Bro, there is no way around it, you are a total moron.

You really need to do something about that cough. I keep hearing more and more of it in this forum.

Of course there is no chance he is where he is because of dedication, talent, and hard work.

He is 12 now so he is in the final year of his contract. will he continue up the ranks?

anyone know his standing?

He's 12 If Barca believes in him which from all reports they do.then why on earth would they allow another club try and poach him. It could be 4 -6 more year before we reallyknow hoe good he can be.

We will know something very quickly. he has a two year contract. he is in year 2. if he stays for another 2-3 years then the closer he approaches 16 the closer he approaches professional contract.

I thought in Spain they weren't allowed to sign professional contracts until they were 18? Isn't that how Arsenal has been able to poach a few 16 year old Barca kids in the past?

Its a youth contract

but it is professional. messi signed his first contract at the age of 16 with barca then signed his first professional contract at the age of 18.

but if Ben continues to sign youth contracts with Barca it means he keeps going up the ladder. which is what we want.

Hard for us to say right now. We just get to see snippets of highlights and game reports.

I'm sure there are plenty of talented kids at Barca's academy. And they are constantly trialing kids to see if there are better talents out there. There are a limited number of spaces available......................

You say exactly what the problem is. We don't know if any of these kids will pan out for 4-6 more years. So it's just a matter for the youth development/scouting experts. (People who actually know what they're talking about. Unlike me) It's these people who can say "player X is doing well at this level against other 12 year olds, but I don't think he will become a Barca player for reasons A, B, and C." I don't know how they do it, but that's what they get paid for.

we will know very very quickly. he is in year 2 of his youth contract. if he doesnt get recalled into another contract within this next 8 months we know...

I agree the coaches and scouts at Barca know a lot more than we ever will especially when evaluating 10 -12 year olds. I do think it is a says a lot for player like Ben to earn a spot in their academy when they could easily fill it with kids from Spain.