When ahmed was reborn he was actually very confused and though that be will awake from this dream at. Any moment but when the years started to passby he though
"Why not just make the best of it"
And so he did.
If in his past life ahmed was good in football. In this life. He was an absolute genius. Whether it was dribbling or passing or shooting. He was just incomparable to his bears. So much that even the teachers and every at school though that it will be pity not alowing him to continue to play and they told his father so. And when his father saw him play for the first time. He thought the same
And so he took him to the ittihad jeddah. Best football team in jeddah to show them his son skills and talent
And this. Was when things started to go in a deferent direction
...….
When his father told him that they are going to al-ittihad and participate in the tryouts he though that he was going to wake up of this dream
"My old man. The stubborn office eorker who wanted my to become an engineer a pushed me from the path of football all my years? Is actually taking me to the tryout? "
Ahmed was having so much fun in this second life of his and while he didn't have talent or a system or cheats. He. As a youth coach knew exactly what a real footballer need and started to focus on these particular skils
What determines professional from non-professional players is not the speed. Is not physicality. Nor it is passing or shooting accurately. No.
First a d formost. It is first touch
I remembers hearing once from ... thierry henry? Or was it mourinho? I can't actually remember who said it but anyway
A players needing more that 2 touches is not a football player. One touch to stabilise the ball and a second touch to. Pass. Shoot. Or dribble
And so he mastered the art of frist touch and control.
While other kids kept practicing shoting dribblling and skile
He spended hours and hours every day just practicing his first touch
He was not a genius he semply know from experience what was wrong and what was right
At a 10 years old. He was a kid that was able to control any ball that came to him from any anlge. At a limeted speed and with a simple touch was able to completely stop the ball between his feets
While other kids and bystanders watched him asist and score they simply thought
That kid is amazing
But then again
what exactly made him amazing ?
Peaple will say he score a lot of goals. He has a good shot accuracy
He is fast
He give a lot of assist
But only someone who actually studed football would be able to notice this skill
And then? What came after the first touch ?
Well. It was something that actually came before the first touch. But would be completely useless without a first touch
Scanning
In football everyone keep their attention only on the ball. Everyone ........................… ...........................
Expect the football players
Whether you are a defenders facing a strong(striker) or a midfielder traped between (3other midfielder) And trying to assist (a teammate) Or an striker trying to score a lead while facing a world call (defender) there is something that you should focus on as much if not more than the position of the ball
What will you once you receive the ball. But don't know the position of your teamate and the openents spread on the field
You wast time. Precious time by lifting your head and trying to find out the available teammate. If there is an available teammate. And then waste more time by diciding to pass. Dribble or shot. All the while protecting the ball you reciving.
No. Ahmed doesn't wast such time.
He believes (he knows)that the players who make his decisions before they even receive the ball. And can change this decision in a splite second. countering the opponent decision can and will beat any player destroy any positioning. And make best use of his teamemates sprints .and find the best passed and assist available
All of this and more. Is the (foundation) of the true professional footballer
He was not a genius He simply taught himself everything he was taught and taught the the children he coached
Yeah. Ahmed enjoyed his second life.
And when he was in deepthing while sitting next yo his dad the the car. He smilled when he saw the ittihad headquarters
Yeah. I am gonna enjoy this more
.........…
Sigh no good talents this year either
Is what ittihad youth coach mahmoud saad thought when he saw the new group of 10
years old kids in front of him
If you asked a 10 yo kid what do you think the tryouts would have been like.
Some would say. We play 11-11. And they will pick the best
Other maybe gonna say. They will ask out to show our skils. Or maybe ask us to shhoot at goalkeeper
When you are young. Your thought when it come to being a good footballer is very simple but very wrong
I can dribble the fastest. No can can catch me
I have the best dribble. A can beat any one in a 1-1
I have the best accuracy. I will not miss my shots.
And so one so goes. Every one think that they are a good players because they are the best at class. School. Or even the neighbourhood
Coach mahmoud signed again when he looked at the field at the kids doing their best to complete the stamina tests the examenrs explained to them.
While hehad no doubts that some of them might have actually good skills. For a footballer the stamina is one if not the most important aspicts of the game. And he knew that of the 150 kids recommended by varios pe teachers from around the city. Only around 50-40 will remain to actually have their technical skills tested. And when you take of the kids with bad stamina and remain with kids with good stamina. That is usually it. Kids that have only good stamina and strong and fast bodes will remain. While the kids failed to pass the stamina test will have another chance at next year tryout (if they came ) to show their skills in hopes to compensate for their lake of stamina and physicalites . Only very few can catch the intersest of the other assistant coaches and actually have a chance. They are looking for the best after all.
And true only 40 kids remained and hade there skills tested in the drills of the first touch. Teo touch shotout and the other componation drills. And from the look of it. He is not very optimistic
Coach mahmod was about sigh again when he heard the sound of the ball meeting the net. Turned around and saw a kid with a tanned skin collor a dark short cut hair doing a two touch shooting drill.
.........…
Oof. Good thing a trained my stamina since i was 8
Was the thought process of ahmed when he dried the sweat that sliped into his chin with back of his hand and signed for the assistant coach to send him another ball
One touch Full control. Look up. Start the run and bang. Top corned.
He hasn't missed a shot
No. Not only he hasn't missed a shot. But he sended every shot in the top right of left corner
With enough power the the gallkeper of the dril which was the second gallkepper of the ittihad youth team ali couldn't even touch let save
To say the coaches were in awe was understadment
But what they dont know that this us how i trained for the past 4 years
What he dont know that in the minds of the coaches surrounding him
One idea filled their minds
...........................
We might have found a genius