Dubai: Former Real Madrid star Michel Salgado on Wednesday said it’s time to work on the development of Emirati grassroots talents, who will eventually make their mark in football’s big league.
A former right-back from Real’s renowned ‘Galactico’ era, Salgado was speaking at a press briefing to announce details of the biggest renewal of the Under-13 Dubai Intercontinental Football Cup yet, where 24 teams from 12 countries will vie for the top prize over three days from February 13-15.
Current Spain and Manchester United first-choice goalkeeper David de Gea lent his support to the competition by attending the briefing at Dubai Press Club, where Salgado called for a review of the system in place to develop players at the grassroots here and bring them in line with European standards.
“The problem is the system. When I see the kids playing in Arab countries, some of them are like diamonds, but they are rough and need to be shaped,” said Salgado, who made 254 appearances and won four La Liga and two Champions League titles for Real Madrid during his two decades with the club between 1999 and 2009.
“If you want to develop kids who can play in Europe you cannot send them there when they are 18 or 20; it’s very late. The system there is totally different.
“The problem is that kids in the UAE think differently than how we think in Europe. For us, football is about life as since we are 6-7 years old we are only thinking about football. For the clubs it’s the same. They bring the best kids and work with them with the best coaches and that’s how they develop the players.
When I look at these guys I can tell you we can get players from the UAE, who can no doubt play in the big leagues, but we need to organise a system and now is the moment to try and do that to change football in the UAE.” – Agencies
