In Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, next to the Prince Abduarrahman bin Saud Stadium where Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr trains, there are two clay fields where children of all ages train. The goalkeeper can’t even reach the middle of the goal. Immigrants and Saudis are chasing the ball. They dream of being in World Cup 2034 will be organized by the host country Spanish Super Cup. Like Mahd Academy players Numerous educational centers located in Arab lands to which foreign press is invited.
Mahd Academy is a project where Mourinho is on the board of directors
Mahd Academy was backed by a Dutch group and its board of directors was approved by the crown prince in August. Mohammed bin Salman Members of the state government (the initial impulse is state, but it is intended to become a private initiative) are present, as well as Jose Mourinho and the former Romanian international. Ioan Lupescu.
It currently has six teams starting from the age of five. Above are the young football players who are part of the generation that will be the protagonists of the season. World Cup 2034. Madrid-based sports coach David Pascual was also involved in this project a little earlier. “I wanted to go back for the first month, but now I’m very happy. I couldn’t stay in this position in Spain and the salary is good,” he explains during a trip to the facility next to the International Olympic Committee in Saudi Arabia.
Mahd Academy has five fields, many of which are natural grass. Like the entire country, it is in a phase of growth and expansion. Pascual describes the accelerated process the academy is experiencing. To compete with other big clubs they need to go through a knockout stage where they progress at a good pace. Mahd Academy achieved great results against teams from other countries in the region. Pascual notices differences during his adventures in Europe. But the performance is obvious: “We have three players in the lower categories of the national team.”
Compete with Qatar and Real Madrid Foundation
Similarities with the process taking place in Qatar are obvious. ‘Neighbors’ and rivals founded Aspire Academy in 2004, aiming to develop and train athletes. The results were not as expected and the bubble burst after the World Cup. Therefore, Mehd Academy advocates a more permanent project. The Vision, in which Saudi Arabia aims to not be dependent on oil, has been integrated into the Saudi 2030 plan.
“This national project seeks to identify and develop sporting talent in Saudi Arabia,” Mahd Academy summarizes on its website. Pascual, together with another member of the centre, talks about the incredible football raw material available in the country. While Qatar recruits foreigners, especially from Africa, almost all members of Mehd Academy are Arabs. Locals aren’t the only ones interested in training and recruitment. The Real Madrid Foundation is also headquartered in Riyadh.
The white team, which has wide support in the country, showed all the local support in their favor with the support they received in the Super Cup, where they played against Atlético in the semi-finals. Access to these centers can be achieved through recruitment by teams or by paying a fee. An inequality specific to youth football, which is extreme in one country. “Two hundred”, according to the comment of Ramón Marcote, who is in charge of the Al-Hilal youth team between 2021 and 2022.
Children who train for one day and those who train for six days
“We had all types of players, from the son of a millionaire sheikh to the member of a humble family. A profile that had to work to get ahead and was looking for a life filled with football. For them, leaving the club meant returning to their real situation. The country’s workforce is essentially foreign; There are conditions that are repeated among Pakistanis, Nepalis and other cities,” explains Marcote. This gap is proven by an example experienced firsthand by David Pascual, physical trainer and coach at Mahd Academy.
“In the qualifying championships we face teams that only train one day compared to ours six days. The difference is so significant that sometimes we have to stop the matches because the opponents are tired.“It has very good facilities: they are the most professional,” says the Spanish worker, who comes from a project that does not have such a first team but aims to compete with the country’s greats in a short time, such as Al-Hilal. “The club has the best structure in the country”.
The commitment to football, led by government agencies such as the Public Investment Fund, therefore has several objectives. On the one hand, to consolidate the sector as stated in the Vision 2030 plan, and on the other hand, to ensure that the Saudi Arabian team reaches 2034 as a force. Its football tradition is far more important than that of Qatar, which dominates Asia.
And last but not least, public authorities want to fight childhood obesity, one of the highest in the world. Goals that include new generations who dream of becoming football players and representing their country, as in every country in the world. Both in the fresh green of the academies and in the soil of the fields where lively ‘pachangas’ are played to build a better future.
Source: Informacion
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.