“He just put her top corner, like Ronaldo and Messi! »
You could see the pride in Antonio Ribeiro’s face. The former Impact player was chatting with La Presse on the sidelines of the indoor soccer field at the Varennes Multisports Center on Saturday morning when a nice strike from one of the young players participating in his Ribeiro-Moojen Combine was went to stand in the skylight. He interrupted his interview to appreciate the moment.
This is because this event, organized by the two ex-IMFCs, Ribeiro and Frederico Moojen, takes place this weekend under the eyes of recruiters from major international clubs, such as AC Milan, from Italy, and the ‘Atlético Mineiro, from Brazil. This is the second edition of the Combine, while the two football men have been organizing events of this type for NCAA universities since 2012.
The idea is to offer young players here a platform to show their talent, in the hope of catching the eye of recruiters from Canadian and international clubs.
Because the dream of these players aged 16 to 24 who struggle on the synthetic pitch on Saturday morning is to find a professional club in which to play.
No, CF Montreal was not in Varennes on Saturday morning.
“I find it a bit boring that we have people from Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Miami, but we can’t get the local club,” laments Ribeiro .
A representative of Bleu-blanc-noir assures La Presse that the club is well aware of the players participating in these schemes, events which take place around fifteen times a year. The club cannot be present at each of these private events, it is explained, even though it is already involved in official Soccer Québec programs.
“I had the chance to talk to them to tell them,” Ribeiro emphasizes. I don’t think they have access to all the young people, there are some who can slip through the cracks. A CF presence in the future would be important, because you never know. »
Manuel Maddoni is the AC Milan representative who came to observe the young players in Varennes on Saturday. He is present because he is “sure that there is always a good player in any event”, according to Freddy Moojen.
“He saw some interesting players,” he said. Of course, he says that the level of AC Milan is much stronger than here. It’s really difficult to take a player and take him there directly. But for him, it’s important to be here, to see the level. »
According to Maddoni, Canada’s presence at the 2022 World Cup has raised awareness around the world.
“It also makes young Canadians want to play soccer more and more, because they see that it’s possible [to break through],” says the recruiter, through an interpreter.
“The World Cup, Alphonso Davies, all these stars emerging, it means that eyes are turning more and more towards here,” says Marcelo Alves, representative of Miami FC, in USL.
No player was placed in a club following the first edition of the Ribeiro-Moojen Combine last year. There is, however, one of the participants who is still in Mexico to this day, without having signed a contract.
Recruiters, “they notice the best ones,” explains Ribeiro. “On Sunday, we’re going to put the best against the best. »
Those who stand out will then be invited to spend two weeks or a month in the club environment. “If they keep up the pace, they keep it and develop it. »
Anthony Chevrette rests on the sidelines, still sweating from jumping on the field. Was he nervous before stepping on the floor, in front of all those recruiters?
“At first, yeah,” he admits. It was difficult to manage the pressure, but the intensity was there. »
Same story with Fattar Anis, a 16-year-old who did not seem intimidated on the pitch in front of opponents older than him.
“Right when we were coming in, we had stress,” he said. But then we forget, and we play. »
