The world is full of young football talents. They grow up in the streets of São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Abuja or Belgrade, and the world is literally to their feet, so to speak.
These lads are on a mission to become the stars we will watch tomorrow. The next Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or João Felix.
At the same time, there are beautiful projects that focus on these players, from the Guardian’s top 60 young footballers yearly plan, the unique and high-quality Scouted Football, among others.
We are not going to compete with them. However, in our work and research in BabaGol, we discover many players that don’t get the focus or the chance to showcase what they can produce.
With that in mind, we have decided to share snippets of our source of knowledge. Our shadow scout, Juan Gafas, will pop-up weekly and will put the spotlight on one player that is worth your attention. This can be viewed as a tip for all BabaGolers to meet the next Jamie Vardy and Dado Pršo, or maybe the next Gary Medel or Jorge Valdivia, a moment (or a few years) before they become famous.
We start the new decade in the capital of the USA, as Juan follows a local teenager.
Moses Nyeman
Age: 16
Club: DC United (USA)
Position: Central midfielder
Nationality: Liberia / USA
Market Value: €125,000 (Transfermarkt)
Why follow him? Played fifteen senior football matches before turning 16 years old, and signed a professional contract (‘Homegrown’) with DC United before the end of the season, young Moses is a teen you should follow.
Nyeman made headlines last summer when he scored his first and only professional goal, as he was only three months shy of his 16th birthday. His strengths include close ball control, quick feet and good passing ability. However, I think he has another strong advantage, which is his character - not often do I see a teenager play with grownups and appear so calm and confident, while always asking for the ball and taking responsibility.
Born in Liberia and yet to obtain his USA citizenship, he takes part in the youth national team camps, but cannot play in official international games. That should be sorted soon, but more importantly for his career, he needs to develop physically. It may not be a major concern now, considering his age, but his size and lack of power are notable even in USL’s slow tempo. Unlike former BabaScouted talent of the same age group, Ricardo Pepi, Moses is not quite physically ready for the MLS. Having said that, and if his physical development will not be an issue, I see a bright future for the kid.