ABU DHABI // With the fever pitch thrill of training alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar, thousands of youngsters kicked off a nationwide football competition on Saturday.
More than 2,000 young hopefuls competed in Abu Dhabi on the first day of the six-month du Football Champions tournament, which is offering winning teams and stand-out players an all-expenses-paid trip to Spain to train with professionals from La Liga.
Championship director and former Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado attended the opening day at Zayed Sport City and said he was thrilled.
“The girls and boys demonstrated superb skills and we look forward to discovering many more talented players this season,” he said.
Through two simultaneous competitions – the UAE Schools and the Streets Cup – boys and girls aged 11-17 will participate in four categories separated by age and gender.
Competing in the UAE Streets Cup, where teams can be made up from schools, clubs, academies or just groups of friends, were Mahdi and Elias Zitouni.
The 14-year-old Tunisian twins decided to make a team of their own as their school was not represented.
Mahdi, who is Black Knight’s captain, said that what he liked most about the tournament was it provided children a great opportunity at no cost.
“There are a lot of people who can’t afford to pay for tournaments and here we get to play for free,” the team’s goalkeeper said.
His brother Elias said the chemistry he shared with his twin gave them an edge in their 2-0 victory on Saturday.
“The way this tournament is organised, the activities, the food – it’s definitely the best I have ever played in,” Elias said.
With scouts from the Spanish league attending games players said it raised the level of their playing.
“Being looked at by scouts gets you excited as you know your dreams of becoming a professional player could come true,” said Rami Omar, 15.
The Canadian will be representing the Canadian International School in the UAE Schools Cup which will feature close to 200 schools.
Training at least twice a week with his team, Rami said they had hopes of making it to at least the quarter-finals, and perhaps on to the semi-finals.
“This is a great event that brings out a lot of enthusiasm and gets the local communities together,” he said. “There should be more tournaments like it in the UAE.”
Games will be held every Saturday with next week’s matches being held at Al Ain Football Club and Al Dhafra Training Ground.
The tournament’s Dubai and Sharjah games will commence at the beginning of next year with the final taking place at Dubai Mall on March 19.
tsubaihi@thenational.ae