Diary of a Scout: World Cup Edition, Part II

Now the dust has settled on a much talked about World Cup and the Muppets have gone home (I mean Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump, not Animal and Kermit The Frog) I feel like I can reflect on the players I focused on in part one and mention a couple of others.

With Yan Diomande getting his dream move to Real Madrid and Ayyoub Bouaddi getting interest from Manchester City, both players have certainly caught the attention of the biggest clubs in the world.

Breaking records

Diomande became a club record signing for Real this month, the Spanish giants have stumped up a fee worth up to $160 million. This makes him the most expensive African player in history.

Bouaddi is still a Lille player, but Man City are rumoured to pay in excess of $130 million for the teenager. It seems crazy that these astronomical fees have become the norm. The Citizens have already forked out $154 million for Elliot Anderson, but with Rodri rumored to be leaving Manchester, the Moroccan starlet could be viewed as the Spanish captain’s replacement.

Concentrating on the football

Since the World Cup ended there seems to be an endless web of controversy and corruption. First came the despicable antics of the Argentina players. That was quickly followed with Gianni Infantino seemingly wanting to make even more money out of the FIFA brand by selling stakes in its major competitions.

During the competition, Trump may have bent the rules around Folarin Balogun’s red card to try and give Team USA an advantage against Belgium. Thankfully that backfired spectacularly and the United States was soundly beaten by the Red Devils.

All that noise is easy to get consumed in, so I like to stick to the football. The other two players I scouted during this tournament are below. One of them is a Yankee, so let’s review how they performed. The Belgium loss aside, the USMNT had a fairly impressive tournament. Defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32 broke the national team’s record of most victories at any World Cup with three wins.

Mauricio Pochettino has since signed a new contract, extending it through to 2030. He will be hoping that he can build on the success he’s had with this current crop of players and perform even better at the next World Cup.

Alex Freeman

Age: 22
Position: Defender
Club: Villarreal

USA have a few diamonds in their team and with Pochettino nurturing their talent, they can only improve.

Folarin Balogun is the obvious player to look at. The Monaco forward had an impressive World Cup scoring 3 goals in 4 matches. Despite coming through the Arsenal academy, Tottenham are rumored to be interested in the 25 year-old. Watch this space on that front, as Spurs will be looking to add to their forward line before the transfer window closes.

Freeman has received less attention than his fellow countryman and most people outside of the States have barely heard of him. However, he has the build of a centre-back, the quality of a modern full-back and can play three different positions without dropping his high levels.

The 22 year-old was another standout player for his country during the World Cup, playing 5 matches, scoring 1 goal and assisting another. It would be no surprise if a big club were to pick up the versatile American this summer.

Gilberto Mora

Age: 17
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Club: Tijuana

Mexico may have lost their round of 16 match to England in Mexico City, but the future looks bright for Gilberto Mora.

The youngster started that classic match against England and was subbed off in the second half. He was the tournament’s youngest player and when he started their round of 32 match against Ecuador, he became the second-youngest player to start a World Cup knockout match at the age of 17 years and 259 days, behind Pele in 1958.

He already has 12 caps for his country and is turning plenty of heads when he plays for club side, Tijuana. He’s already been back in action since the World Cup ended and scored a penalty in his clubs 1-0 win over Léon at the end of July.

They’ve started the season well in Liga MX, but have the opposite form in the Leagues Cup. They’ll be hoping they can hang on to Mora, who must be on the radar for many clubs in Europe.

After having a taste of international football scouting, I’ve since gone back to attending non-league matches, with the National League season starting. More diary entries from a grassroots level will be coming soon!