adminmouth-watering one.
But is such a player merely a pipe dream or a real possibility?
For years, coaches at grassroots level have had to contend with poor facilities, uneven pitches and unpredictable weather, undoubtedly hindering efforts to improve the technical ability of the next generation of English footballers.
The Football Association has already recognised the need for an overhaul, pledging to invest £150m over the next three years to improve facilities.
However, it is another step they are taking, which won’t garner the kind of attention a multi-million pound cash injection has, that could ultimately prove as influential.
The latest edition of “The Future Game”, the FA’s technical guide for young player development — will include a recommendation for a sport which the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo grew up on — Futsal or commonly known as five-a-side soccer.
Futsal, a small-sided variant of football played between two teams of five players in an indoor arena, is something that has been played for decades in countries like Brazil, Argentina, Spain and Italy — countries who have won seven of the previous eight World Cups between them, and are also the top sides in Futsal.
In those countries, Futsal is part of a development programme where children play the sport up until the ages of 10 or 11 before deciding whether to focus solely on football or stay with the small-sided variant.
Peter Sturgess is the FA’s head of development for five- to 11-year-old players and head coach of the England men’s Futsal team.
He said: “The FA is establishing Futsal as part of the footballing landscape in this country.
“Because of the similarities between Futsal and football, players who have followed both during their development histories have been the ones found to go on and do really well in the game.
“If kids are brought up on that, their ability to deal with a situation when things get tight in the penalty area in an 11-a-side game has to be improved.”
For years, youth development in England has favoured physical over technical characteristics, but the football landscape in the country is evolving. Small skilful players like Juan Mata and David Silva are now excelling in the English Premier League, while midfield enforcers or burly centre-forwards are not so much the mainstay of teams in the top flight.
This has been recognised within the FA and, while it may have taken it time to awaken from its slumber, English football’s governing body now seems ready to catch up with the rest of the world by improving the skill level of young footballers. This is where Futsal comes in. By adding the sport to their official guide for youth development, the FA are encouraging more and more grassroots coaches to incorporate Futsal into their programmes.
“Because Futsal is such a fast, skill-based and tactical sport I just think our players are going to be blasted by something in a way they haven’t been exposed to before,” added Sturgess.
“Once we get a generation of kids who are experiencing Futsal and football, I think we will be dangerous.”
For a sneak peek at the type of footballer being brought up on Futsal creates, people need only look at one of the most exciting young talents in the country — Will Hughes.
At just 17, the midfielder is already a key player for Championship side Derby, and has been linked with a string of Premier League clubs this season.
Hughes has been lauded for his ball control, passing and technical ability – all of which the teenager says he developed by playing Futsal as a youngster.
Hughes saidt: “It does help and I think it will be becoming an integral part of football in coming years.
“Look at what people say after England go out of a major tournament, talking about technique. Physicality is important but I think technique has overcome that — look at the current Barcelona team and they are more technically developed than we are.”
But as well as aiding the development of footballers, Futsal is a popular game in its own right.
An estimated 30 million people play it worldwide — putting it on par with women’s football — and it is recognised by Fifa as the “fastest growing indoor sport in the world”.
Why Futsal?
1. Players learn to cope in tight spaces
2. It improves spatial awareness
3. It improves decision-making
4. Develops a player’s ability to both defend and attack
5. Gives players less time on the ball
6. Players touch the ball up to five times more in small-sided games than in 11-a-side football
7. Goalkeepers are involved in the action two to four times more than in 11-a-side football
8. The ball is out of play 8-10% of the time in a small-sided game, compared to 34% in 11-a-side — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter