Abu Dhabi: The capital was awash with fast-paced football at the Du Football Champions, the only scouting platform in partnership with La Liga.
The nation’s popular football championship this year had a long waiting list as more than 250 Under 16 players registered to showcase their talents in front of La Liga scouts at Zayed Sports City. The competition was tough, but Nation Pro stood out as the powered through all their group stage matches.
La Liga scouts follow Nation Pro’s performance very closely, after one of their players progressed through the Du La Liga High Performance Centre and is now contracted to the Kerala Blasters team.
After scoring the deciding goal to help his team qualify for the Abu Dhabi knockouts next month, Abdul Rahman Nizar, Nation Pro’s midfielder, said: “It’s great to play in this tournament. I love it and I look forward to it every year. We are training throughout the year so we can make an impression.”
The U16 Streets teams shared the fields with the U14 sides. The UAE Schools Cup will be played next week followed by the Abu Dhabi knockout stages on February 1.