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Youth movement goes too far Argentine pre-teen too young to be a phenom
Posted: Tuesday November 16, 1999 03:13 PM
Argentine midfielder Leandro De Petris is a talented youngster who is reportedly being tracked by European giants such as AC Milan and Manchester United. An exceptional two-footed phenom with tremendous vision and silky skills, he's the latest in a long line of players dubbed "the next Maradona." AC Milan vice president and resident legend Franco Baresi said: "I've seen him play and he's simply extraordinary. He has the full range of technical skills, but it is his natural playing instincts which make him truly special. He will entertain us all for years to come." Leandro De Pretis is eleven years old. Yes, eleven. Which means he probably has never kissed a girl, been to the cinema without an adult or eaten all his vegetables at the dinner table. Odds are he's only just realized that Santa Claus doesn't sneak down his chimney every 25th of December. He's a child. He's not a prospect, he's not a future phenom and he sure as heck is not fodder for cash-rich soccer clubs and media outlets looking for an heir to Maradona's throne. Yet Leandro has already been interviewed by radio stations, been filmed juggling the ball on national television (naturally alongside a split-screen of Maradona doing the same at age 10) and been the subject of magazine and newspaper articles in 20 different countries. Three weeks ago he visited Milan and was led through the club's training facilities. He played in a youth game alongside George Weah's son (another kid with greatness thrust open him at an early age) and there is already talk of moving the entire De Petris family to Italy in three year's time when he becomes old enough to sign his first contract. Provided, of course, that a Manchester United, a Barcelona or some other European juggernaut doesn't get to him first. This kind of nonsense is ridiculous. Developing young talent is one thing, turning a child who probably stopped wetting his bed in the past 12 months into an international commodity is quite another. Leandro should be worrying about puberty and acne, not agents and contracts. His parents have already signed him up with an agent, a guy called Sebastian Braun. "We chose Milan because the club has shown him and his parents a lot of respect and understands he is still a child," he told an Italian newspaper. "But nothing is set in stone. We haven't signed anything, he's still too young." Some cynics may interpret that as meaning: "We like Milan, but he's still free to sign with anyone else, so go ahead and make us a better offer." To be fair, it's probably a good thing that Leandro's family has linked up with Braun. If he is honest, smart and truly has the child's best interest at heart, he will keep Leandro away from the spotlight at least for the next five years. He won't turn him into a carnival sideshow, hitting television stations up for appearance money so that the little phenom can demonstrate his prodigious juggling ability to the masses. Instead, he'll do everything in his power to ensure that Leandro gets to be a kid, doing boy stuff with his friends, rather than learning the finer ramifications of Milan's 3-4-3 tactical formation. One would think that the child wonders of tennis and gymnastics (and the maladjusted freakshows they often turned into) would have taught soccer a thing or two about chucking eleven year olds into the limelight. Besides, for every talented kid who turns into a superstar, there are hundreds who are now busy queuing up at the unemployment office or asking whether you want fries with your order. Last year, a 10-year-old Neapolitan boy named Vincenzino Sarno made headlines when Torino paid US$70,000 for his services. As part of the deal, they moved his whole family to the north of Italy and found his father a job in Turin. Vincenzino has now left the club and is back in Naples, after failing to fit in at Torino. It was reported that the club grew tired of his father and his constant demands for more money. He's no longer playing organized soccer, less than 12 months after being hyped into orbit by the media. I don't know if he bears any scars from the experience. For his sake, I hope he doesn't and I hope he can lead some kind of normal life. If he makes it as a footballer, it'll be a nice plus, but one can only pray that somebody learned a lesson. And that Leandro's parents know and understand Vincenzino's story. I hope he can grow and develop as a man and as a footballer on his own, without microphones down his throat and agents up his backside. I don't want to read another word about Leandro De Petris for the next six years. By that time, he'll be 17, the 2006 World Cup will be around the corner and he may well be picked to lead Argentina into battle. When it happens, go ahead and beat down his door and set off a worldwide bidding extravaganza for his signature. Tell his story in 134 different languages, interview mom, dad and the local grocer. But for now, let him worry about getting his first girlfriend.
Extra timeMore bad news for Romario. After Flamengo was eliminated from the Brazilian championship, he reportedly spent the night partying in a Rio nightclub. Club chairman Edmundo Dos Santos Silva vowed that he would do anything in his power to rescind his contract and ensure that Romario never again plays for Flamengo. It's a sad epilogue for one of the most gifted players the game has ever seen. But then, when you go looking for trouble, you tend to find it. Speaking of sublime talent and turbulent temperaments, Bayern Munich's Mario Basler was off-loaded to Kaiserslautern over the weekend. Basler's career has been marred by injury and indiscipline (he's been fined for things ranging from barroom scuffles to spending too much time at the Oktober Fest). At age 30, he can still turn it around, at least for a few seasons. Now it will be up to veteran coach Otto Rehhagel to find a way for Basler and French midfielder Youri Djorkaeff to co-exist on the same field. Argentine forward Martin Palermo was operated on this week following his cruciate ligament injury which will sideline him for six months. It was a stroke of bad luck for a hard-working 27-year-old who has only reached his potential in the last few seasons. Palermo had been lined up for a move to Lazio, and when news of his injury hit Rome, it looked like the deal was dead. But Lazio chairman Sergio Cragnotti reassured him that the club had faith in his recovery and was going to stick to its word. A classy gesture in a world all too often dominated by bottom lines.
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