Football's Next Star
Encyclopedia
Football's Next Star is a television
programme broadcast on Sky1 in the United Kingdom
, which was first won by Ben Greenhalgh
. The show aims to find a young football player who could be the "next big thing" and reward them with a professional contract at Inter Milan
in Italy
.
The series of seven shows is presented by Jamie Redknapp
, the ex-England player. The competition is judged by Internazionale youth coaches Marco Monti
and Paolo Migliavacca, who make the ultimate decision on who receives the professional contract.
The first series finished on 14 February 2010 and was won by Ben Greenhalgh. Connor Smith and Craig Walsh were knocked out in the final round.
The new series will be with premier league team Manchester City
The show follows a series of similar programmes, including Football Superstar
, Football Icon
and Wayne Rooney's Street Striker
.
The second series will be filmed in summer 2011.
and Ireland
where the best forty players are chosen. They battle it out for a spot in the top twenty, then the top ten who go to Milan
to compete for the professional contract. Once there one or more players are eliminated each week until the winner is chosen.
Overall seven thousand boys applied for a chance to win the contract. Jamie Redknapp
explains that the player Inter Milan are looking for will need to be able to handle life in Italy
along with the skill and technique required of a professional footballer. Inter youth coaches Marco Monti
and Paolo Migilavacca along with Redknapp attended the road shows. They crossed the Irish Sea
in the hunt for players to Dublin and with Ireland
only having a handful of professional football clubs Jamie Redknapp
believed there may be some hidden talent to be found here. One of the players to impress was midfielder Craig Walsh a Dublin native who had won several youth trophies. Craig was selected for the final forty along with eight other Irish players including Connor Smith from Westmeath and Gavin Colton from Leixlip
. As well as Gavin Colton and Craig Walsh both of Cherry Orchard
football club.
At the roadshows in Scotland
, the low turn-out highlighted a worrying trend in Scottish football at the moment. Redknapp visited Scottish club Blackburn United
who showed their facilities and how vandalism had held back the club's development. Only four players from Scotland made the final forty including Nathan Taylor from Blackburn United
and Reece McGillion from Glasgow
.
At the Manchester
road shows striker Jamie Matthews made a good impression on the judges and was selected for the last forty. It was clear that his life dream was to be a professional footballer. From the London road show some of the players to stand out were Nathan Simpson from Plaistow
and Anthony O'Connor from Wembley
.
From the thousands of hopefuls across the United Kingdom
and Ireland
the judges selected forty players but only ten would make it to Italy
to compete for the professional contract. Over one weekend the forty were whittled down to twenty. The twenty then competed in a one hour match to enable the coaches to choose the best ten. The match saw a battle of the strikers between Hicham Abdellah from London
and Jamie Matthews from Manchester
. Jamie Matthews scored first but was injured soon after when he had a collision with the goalkeeper.
Meanwhile English-born Hicham Abdellah of Moroccan
decent went on to make an impression on the judges by netting several quality goals. Defender Jordan Fincher also impressed the judges. Jordan is a cousin of professional footballer Anthony Gardner
of Hull City
. Scottish defender Reece McGillion from Glasgow
also impressed with his decision-making during the game. Craig Walsh from Dublin was a major force in midfield and outshone his opponent Dominic Matcham from Cornwall
, who at half-time was talked to by Redknapp to get him focused on reaching the top ten. Ben Greenhalgh from Orpington
also had a good game, and he laid on a perfect cross for Hicham Abdellah to head home. At the end of the episode the judges had made their decision and presented the Inter Milan
shirt to ten players who would now travel to Italy
to compete for their dream of a professional contract in later episodes.
The ten players chosen by coach Marco Monti
were:
. They were amazed by the Lake Como
villa they would be staying in and started to enjoy the professional footballer’s style of life. They could not relax for too long though and in just three days one of the ten would be packing his bags to go home again. After the first morning the pressure began; each of the players were optimistic, but also very nervous. After their first training session in Inter Milan’s state-of-the-art training complex, Interello, they were shown around the San Siro
by coach Marco Monti
and it gave them a real feel of how close they were to a chance of playing for Inter Milan
.
On the second training session the players were given baptism of fire training-wise and the players realised that Marco Monti
meant business and had high training standards. The boys also started to take language lessons in Italian to some of their amusement. After just two days in Milan, tension started in the Villa. Jordan Fincher was not happy when Irish
defender Gavin Colton teased him about not wanting to do Marco's suggestion of ten minutes in the cold swimming pool. Irish midfielder Craig Walsh was suffering from blisters and was also home-sick with little sympathy from Hicham Abdellah. The strict diet and heat was getting to all the players. And on just the second training session the judges had pick two players in contention to be eliminated from the competition. Dominic Matcham and Nathan Simpson were the two that Marco felt did not give a good display in training and fall into the danger zone. They were only given sixty minutes in a game against a talented Italian
youth side to prove that they were good enough to stay in Italy
. Craig Walsh reached breaking point and was called aside by Jamie Redknapp
for a heart-to-heart who advised him not to throw away his dream.
Crunch time came with the big match and when Nathan Simpson gave away a free kick for pushing a player the boys conceded a goal. It was not looking good for Nathan Simpson at that stage but his performance improved and in the second half he managed to play some good football. Dominic Matcham however never managed to get into the game fully. Scottish
defender Reece McGillion played a wonderful pass to Hicham Abdellah who again scored, much to the happiness of coach Marco Monti. The match ended up one goal apiece, With Marco praising Ben Greenhalgh as being the best player. Jamie Redknapp
was also very impressed by the players and believed they had done well for a team that had only been together a few days. It then came to the moment of truth and the judges told Dominic Matcham he was the first to have to leave and pack his bags for the long journey back to England
. Dominic Matcham is currently playing for Tavistock and has had trials with Crystal Palace
in December 2009.
.
Earlier in the week Gavin asked Inter manager José Mourinho
, who all the boys met, if they could train with the first team. Mourinho chose Gavin to train with his first team stars for 10 minutes. Gavin found himself showing what he could do alongside Samuel Eto'o
, Patrick Vieira
, Mario Balotelli
and Sulley Muntari
. After the week's training sessions, Monti decided that centre back Jordan Fincher and winger Anthony O'Connor would be in the danger zone. O'Connor asked Monti if he could play in his preferred position of striker. Monti agreed and switched Connor Smith to the right-wing.
The lads played a game against Allievi Nazionali, Inter's Under-17s. Jordan Fincher played a poor back pass to the keeper and the Inter man punished his error by calmly slotting the ball in the net. The boys then went 2-0 down but when Craig Walsh's, who was captain, shot was turned in by Hicham Abdellah who Jamie Redknapp
quoted "Hicham always seems to score" and made the score look more respectable. After the game Marco Monti decided that Jordan Fincher would have to leave Italy
and return to England
. Fincher left his shirt alongside Dominic Matcham's in the Inter dressing room before returning to England
with his dreams dashed. Jordan Fincher has had trials with Cardiff City in January 2010.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programme broadcast on Sky1 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which was first won by Ben Greenhalgh
Ben Greenhalgh
Ben James "Ben" Greenhalgh is an English professional footballer who is currently a free agent after leaving Italian club Calcio Como. He was the winner of reality show Football's Next Star in 2010 which bagged him a professional contract with Serie A giants Inter Milan.- Career :Ben left his first...
. The show aims to find a young football player who could be the "next big thing" and reward them with a professional contract at Inter Milan
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The series of seven shows is presented by Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
, the ex-England player. The competition is judged by Internazionale youth coaches Marco Monti
Marco Monti
Marco Angelo Monti is an Italian former footballer who played for numerous clubs, including Internazionale, Lazio, Atalanta, Reggiana, Ravenna and Lecco....
and Paolo Migliavacca, who make the ultimate decision on who receives the professional contract.
The first series finished on 14 February 2010 and was won by Ben Greenhalgh. Connor Smith and Craig Walsh were knocked out in the final round.
The new series will be with premier league team Manchester City
The show follows a series of similar programmes, including Football Superstar
Football Superstar
Football Superstar is an Australian reality television series that airs on FOX8. It is hosted by Lee Furlong and Kris Smith. The show aims to find a new football star from male contestants aged 16 to 21...
, Football Icon
Football Icon
Football Icon was a British television programme shown on Sky One. The programme gave young, unsigned football players between the ages of 16 and 18 a chance to win a contract with the then Premiership champions, Chelsea. Thousands of players who entered were whittled down to fourteen finalists,...
and Wayne Rooney's Street Striker
Wayne Rooney's Street Striker
Wayne Rooney's Street Striker is a British reality television series that is broadcast on Sky1 and in high definition on Sky1 HD. The third series of the show started airing on 14 November 2010...
.
The second series will be filmed in summer 2011.
Episode One
Episode one starts with the roads shows across the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
where the best forty players are chosen. They battle it out for a spot in the top twenty, then the top ten who go to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
to compete for the professional contract. Once there one or more players are eliminated each week until the winner is chosen.
Overall seven thousand boys applied for a chance to win the contract. Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
explains that the player Inter Milan are looking for will need to be able to handle life in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
along with the skill and technique required of a professional footballer. Inter youth coaches Marco Monti
Marco Monti
Marco Angelo Monti is an Italian former footballer who played for numerous clubs, including Internazionale, Lazio, Atalanta, Reggiana, Ravenna and Lecco....
and Paolo Migilavacca along with Redknapp attended the road shows. They crossed the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
in the hunt for players to Dublin and with Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
only having a handful of professional football clubs Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
believed there may be some hidden talent to be found here. One of the players to impress was midfielder Craig Walsh a Dublin native who had won several youth trophies. Craig was selected for the final forty along with eight other Irish players including Connor Smith from Westmeath and Gavin Colton from Leixlip
Leixlip
-Politics:Since 1988 Leixlip has had a nine member Town Council , headed by a Cathaoirleach , which has control over many local matters, although it is limited in that it is not also a planning authority...
. As well as Gavin Colton and Craig Walsh both of Cherry Orchard
Cherry Orchard F.C.
Cherry Orchard Football Club is an Irish football club founded in 1957 known locally as "the Orchard." The club is one of the biggest producers of talent in Ireland. They are linked with Manchester City. Their main rival is Crumlin United, for whom Robbie Keane played at schoolboy level. The club...
football club.
At the roadshows in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the low turn-out highlighted a worrying trend in Scottish football at the moment. Redknapp visited Scottish club Blackburn United
Blackburn United F.C.
Blackburn United F.C. are a Scottish junior football club from the town of Blackburn, West Lothian. Formed in 1978, they joined the junior grade of football two years later...
who showed their facilities and how vandalism had held back the club's development. Only four players from Scotland made the final forty including Nathan Taylor from Blackburn United
Blackburn United F.C.
Blackburn United F.C. are a Scottish junior football club from the town of Blackburn, West Lothian. Formed in 1978, they joined the junior grade of football two years later...
and Reece McGillion from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
At the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
road shows striker Jamie Matthews made a good impression on the judges and was selected for the last forty. It was clear that his life dream was to be a professional footballer. From the London road show some of the players to stand out were Nathan Simpson from Plaistow
Plaistow, Newham
Plaistow is a place in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It formed part of the County Borough of West Ham in Essex until 1965.Plaistow is a mainly residential area, including several council estates; the main road is the A112 - Plaistow Road, High Street, Broadway, Greengate Street and...
and Anthony O'Connor from Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
.
From the thousands of hopefuls across the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
the judges selected forty players but only ten would make it to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to compete for the professional contract. Over one weekend the forty were whittled down to twenty. The twenty then competed in a one hour match to enable the coaches to choose the best ten. The match saw a battle of the strikers between Hicham Abdellah from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Jamie Matthews from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Jamie Matthews scored first but was injured soon after when he had a collision with the goalkeeper.
Meanwhile English-born Hicham Abdellah of Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
decent went on to make an impression on the judges by netting several quality goals. Defender Jordan Fincher also impressed the judges. Jordan is a cousin of professional footballer Anthony Gardner
Anthony Gardner
Anthony Gardner is an England international football defender, who plays for Crystal Palace. A tall centre-back, he has represented England and been bought and sold for millions in the domestic transfer market...
of Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
. Scottish defender Reece McGillion from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
also impressed with his decision-making during the game. Craig Walsh from Dublin was a major force in midfield and outshone his opponent Dominic Matcham from Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, who at half-time was talked to by Redknapp to get him focused on reaching the top ten. Ben Greenhalgh from Orpington
Orpington
Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley. It forms the southeastern edge of London's urban sprawl and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
also had a good game, and he laid on a perfect cross for Hicham Abdellah to head home. At the end of the episode the judges had made their decision and presented the Inter Milan
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
shirt to ten players who would now travel to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to compete for their dream of a professional contract in later episodes.
The ten players chosen by coach Marco Monti
Marco Monti
Marco Angelo Monti is an Italian former footballer who played for numerous clubs, including Internazionale, Lazio, Atalanta, Reggiana, Ravenna and Lecco....
were:
- Nathan Simpson (right back)
- Jordan Fincher (centre back)
- Gavin Colton (centre back)
- Reece McGillion (left back)
- Anthony O'Connor (right winger and striker)
- Craig Walsh (centre midfielder) (Third place)
- Dominic Matcham (centre midfielder)
- Ben GreenhalghBen GreenhalghBen James "Ben" Greenhalgh is an English professional footballer who is currently a free agent after leaving Italian club Calcio Como. He was the winner of reality show Football's Next Star in 2010 which bagged him a professional contract with Serie A giants Inter Milan.- Career :Ben left his first...
(left winger) (Winner) - Connor Smith (striker) (Second place)
- Hicham Abdellah (striker)
Episode Two
Episode two and the ten hopefuls arrive in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. They were amazed by the Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
villa they would be staying in and started to enjoy the professional footballer’s style of life. They could not relax for too long though and in just three days one of the ten would be packing his bags to go home again. After the first morning the pressure began; each of the players were optimistic, but also very nervous. After their first training session in Inter Milan’s state-of-the-art training complex, Interello, they were shown around the San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
by coach Marco Monti
Marco Monti
Marco Angelo Monti is an Italian former footballer who played for numerous clubs, including Internazionale, Lazio, Atalanta, Reggiana, Ravenna and Lecco....
and it gave them a real feel of how close they were to a chance of playing for Inter Milan
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
.
On the second training session the players were given baptism of fire training-wise and the players realised that Marco Monti
Marco Monti
Marco Angelo Monti is an Italian former footballer who played for numerous clubs, including Internazionale, Lazio, Atalanta, Reggiana, Ravenna and Lecco....
meant business and had high training standards. The boys also started to take language lessons in Italian to some of their amusement. After just two days in Milan, tension started in the Villa. Jordan Fincher was not happy when Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
defender Gavin Colton teased him about not wanting to do Marco's suggestion of ten minutes in the cold swimming pool. Irish midfielder Craig Walsh was suffering from blisters and was also home-sick with little sympathy from Hicham Abdellah. The strict diet and heat was getting to all the players. And on just the second training session the judges had pick two players in contention to be eliminated from the competition. Dominic Matcham and Nathan Simpson were the two that Marco felt did not give a good display in training and fall into the danger zone. They were only given sixty minutes in a game against a talented Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
youth side to prove that they were good enough to stay in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Craig Walsh reached breaking point and was called aside by Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
for a heart-to-heart who advised him not to throw away his dream.
Crunch time came with the big match and when Nathan Simpson gave away a free kick for pushing a player the boys conceded a goal. It was not looking good for Nathan Simpson at that stage but his performance improved and in the second half he managed to play some good football. Dominic Matcham however never managed to get into the game fully. Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
defender Reece McGillion played a wonderful pass to Hicham Abdellah who again scored, much to the happiness of coach Marco Monti. The match ended up one goal apiece, With Marco praising Ben Greenhalgh as being the best player. Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
was also very impressed by the players and believed they had done well for a team that had only been together a few days. It then came to the moment of truth and the judges told Dominic Matcham he was the first to have to leave and pack his bags for the long journey back to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Dominic Matcham is currently playing for Tavistock and has had trials with Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in December 2009.
Episode Three
Craig Walsh was still battling home sickness, but coach Marco Monti persuaded him to see it out for the rest of the week. A few days later, the coach made his decision on who would be in the danger zone. Marco also made Walsh his captain for the game against Internazionale's Under-17s. This week, Marco was furious about the state of the Lake Como villa the boys live in. They all got a rollicking, though Irish players Gavin Colton and Connor Smith were rewarded for their good behaviour by getting to meet Luís FigoLuís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
.
Earlier in the week Gavin asked Inter manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
, who all the boys met, if they could train with the first team. Mourinho chose Gavin to train with his first team stars for 10 minutes. Gavin found himself showing what he could do alongside Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...
, Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
, Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for English team Manchester City and the Italian national team.He started his professional football career at Lumezzane and only played for the first team twice before having an unsuccessful trial at FC Barcelona, and subsequently...
and Sulley Muntari
Sulley Muntari
Sulleyman Ali "Sulley" Muntari is a Ghanaian international footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan in Italy. He has 66 caps for The Black Stars of Ghana.-Early career:...
. After the week's training sessions, Monti decided that centre back Jordan Fincher and winger Anthony O'Connor would be in the danger zone. O'Connor asked Monti if he could play in his preferred position of striker. Monti agreed and switched Connor Smith to the right-wing.
The lads played a game against Allievi Nazionali, Inter's Under-17s. Jordan Fincher played a poor back pass to the keeper and the Inter man punished his error by calmly slotting the ball in the net. The boys then went 2-0 down but when Craig Walsh's, who was captain, shot was turned in by Hicham Abdellah who Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Redknapp
Jamie Frank Redknapp is a retired English footballer who was active from 1989 until 2005. He is now a football pundit with Sky Sports, and an editorial columnist with the Daily Mail....
quoted "Hicham always seems to score" and made the score look more respectable. After the game Marco Monti decided that Jordan Fincher would have to leave Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and return to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Fincher left his shirt alongside Dominic Matcham's in the Inter dressing room before returning to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with his dreams dashed. Jordan Fincher has had trials with Cardiff City in January 2010.