“He just placed it top corner, like Ronaldo and Messi! »
You could see the pride in Antonio Ribeiro’s face. The former Impact spoke with The Press on the sidelines of the indoor soccer field at the Varennes Multisports Center, Saturday morning, when a nice shot from one of the young players participating in his Ribeiro-Moojen Combine went into the top corner. He interrupted his interview to appreciate the moment.
This event, organized by the two ex-IMFCs that are 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 attracting the eye of recruiters from Canadian and international clubs.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
A soccer game during the Ribeiro-Moojen Combine
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.
Let’s say we have 50 10 year olds here. You ask them: “Who wants to play pro?” There should be at least 45 raising their hands. The other five are because they didn’t understand the question.
Antonio Ribeiro
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 .
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Antonio Ribeiro
A representative of the Bleu-blanc-noir assures The Press that the club knows well 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, while it is already involved in the official programs of Soccer Québec.
“I had the chance to speak to them to tell them,” emphasizes Ribeiro. 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. »
The rise of Canada, a factor
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 AC Milan’s level 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. »
Ribeiro and Moojen will eventually make the trip to AC Milan in turn, to better understand the level that the big Italian club is looking for.
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 more and more soccer, because they see that it’s possible [de percer] », Indicates the recruiter, through an interpreter.
“The World Cup, Alphonso Davies, all these stars who are emerging, it means that eyes are turning more and more towards here,” says Marcelo Alves, representative of Miami FC, in USL.
“The intensity was there”
No player was placed with 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,” explains Ribeiro. “On Sunday, we will 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. »
It’s like a gold digger. You always have to dig and search. You can never stop.
Antonio Ribeiro
Anthony Chevrette rests on the sidelines, still sweating from jumping on the field. Was he nervous before stepping on the surface, in front of all these recruiters?
“At first, yeah,” he admits. It was difficult to handle 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.
“Just when we came in, we had stress,” he said. But then we forget, and we play. »