DUBAI Souphiane Ourzik is living a dream. A product of the Spanish Soccer Schools (SSS) at Dubai Sports City, the nine-year old has got a nod from the French Ligue 1 club Nantes to join them, allowing him to pursue his dream as a professional footballer.
The youngster, who has spent the past 12 months working with the SSS coaches, is all set to relocate with his family to France in order to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
The boy had attended a trial during a family visit to France earlier this year and he managed to impress the coaches at the club allowing him to train at Nantes while continuing to pursue his studies. Souphiane, who has been living in Dubai for the past two years, initially arrived at the SSS programme tagging along with his older brother Yaccine but he caught the attention of the coaches when he started kicking the ball around on the sidelines.
got time
“Souphiane came along with Yaccine at the beginning of the season and Michel [Salgado] and I were straight away talking about him – we liked him,” said head coach Inaki Beni.
“He came to us and when we went to Spain to play a tournament earlier this year he did really well.
“He is a player with a lot of potential. His techniques have improved and although tactically he has to develop a lot, he is nine so he has got time. In France, the competition will be stronger and that will help him improve, but it is a great example to all the young players here, a lot of them with real potential, of what is possible,” he added.
Souphiane’s father Mohammad Ourzik said he and his son owed a great deal to the work of the SSS coaches. “It was an inspiration having Inaki as coach and there were good vibes between the two,” he said.
“Souphiane liked the coaching and he was getting more advice from the coaches than before. He was listening carefully and we found the coaching very good compared to other set-ups.
“Encouragement is the big thing that Inaki and his coaches transfer to the children and they tell them to never give up,” he added.
DSC director of football Salgado said: “We are delighted with the progress that Souphiane has made with us here at Spanish Soccer Schools and that progress shows we are doing the right things, in the way we are coaching kids at Dubai Sports City. We wish him and his brother well as they pursue their dreams.”
