http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=687&e=15&u=/ap/soc_brazil_phenom 9-Year-Old Soccer Phenom Attracts Scouts Thu Jan 27, 2:13 PM ET By TALES AZZONI, Associated Press Writer SAO PAULO, Brazil - At this rate, sonograms will become a soccer recruiting tool pretty soon. Jean Carlos Chera, a 9-year-old who is 4-foot-6, is attracting interest from Manchester United and other top European teams. Chera, who weighs 77 pounds, currently plays for the youth teams of Associacao Desportiva Atletica, a small club in the southern Brazilian state of Parana. "Seven or eight European clubs have already contacted us to know more about Jean," team president Adilson Batista Prado said in a telephone interview Thursday. "They want to know what he is all about, and I tell them he's a phenomenon, probably the best player to come out of Brazil." Prado and team officials would not identify all the clubs interested in Jean, but confirmed that representatives of Manchester United have asked for videotapes of his matches. Prado said teams from Portugal, France and Germany have made contact, and local media identified FC Porto as one of the teams. The club said the European clubs haven't made official offers yet, but some have asked for permission to send representatives, and others have invited the midfielder and his family to go to Europe. "He still needs to be a kid," said Prado, who does not allow Jean to talk to reporters. Jean began to attract attention after the club put videos with highlights of Jean's matches on its Web site. In the videos, Jean is seen scoring goals from midfield, dribbling past several defenders and playing among 13- and 14-year-olds. After the videos were posted, the site's page views nearly tripled and some of them had to be removed to keep the site from crashing, the club said. Two years ago, Manchester and Inter Milan were among top clubs that expressed interest in then 14-year-old Freddy Adu, who signed Major League Soccer instead. European clubs generally are not allowed to use players from outside the European Union (news - web sites) on their first teams until they turn 18. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nine years old and attracking that much attention is just AMAZING!! I mean when i was nine i was probably still pissing in my pants this KID is getting scouted!
My guess is the kid has real talent, no doubt about it, the only problem I see is that someone that young could grow wrong. Maybe grow big feet as an example. You just never know what type of body you will grow into and how you will deal with it.
I wish Soccer was more popular when I was 9...I was averaging 5 goals a game as a midfielder until I was 13.... Then got to high school and went back to playing only football etc.... At 5'8" I had little chance of making it as a football player, but soccer..... DANG !!! I coulda been a countenda !! DD
Yes, DaDakota, one of the best players ever, Maradona, is very short (now he is very fat, too, but that's a different story...). Anyway, 9 years old...seems a little bit ridiculous if they go overboard with the attention. Will be interesting to see how good he will really be.
George Best was short as well 175cm or 5'8". Man......I could have played for Man U.....if only......
Is it just me or is soccer really boring to watch. I wonder if I had grown up in Europe if I'd like soccer or still think it's boring. I mean, as an American, I recognize that hockey is excruciatingly painful to watch and baseball can be quite the bore. And don't even get me started on Nascar... a thrill a minute Don't know, just can't get into soccer....to little action on too big of a field for too long a period of time.
Damn that boy good......He is gonna be real good when he gets bigger. Seems like he is well coordinated.
The 9 year old phenom drew interest from England, Spain, Portugal, Most of Greece and Michael Jackson.
Okay now that i have seen that video i am truly amazed by his skill level at age 9. to be able to not only just kick goals but to place them so well and know the game. Definently going to be remembering his name when he gets to be around 17 or 18 and in world cup play or anything like that.
Hopefully others just let him be himself instead of comparing him as "the next Pele" or "the next Ronaldo"... you know what I mean I'd say this kid has the innate talent unknown in other 9-year-olds...
