du LaLiga High Performance Centre (HPC) announced today that six of its players have been awarded trials by LaLiga’s top youth clubs, following their 21-day LaLiga Scouting Camp in Spain.
Málaga FC selected striker U18 Lotfi Machou, and left back U18 Laurent Hallal, striker U16 Adham Bayoumi and midfielder U16 Barbod Mazloumian, whereas goal keeper Rajai Ardakani center back Aidan Pinto were invited for trials at Celta Vigo, in preparation for landing professional contracts with these LaLiga Clubs at the age of 18, after establishing a good fit.
This brings to 19 the number of scouted du LaLiga HPC players for LaLiga clubs, regional clubs and national teams over the last two years since the inception of the program. In addition, three (3) players who have reached the age of 18 have been awarded professional football contracts.
Commenting on the scouting of du LaLiga HPC talents Abdulwahed Juma, Executive Vice President, Brand and Corporate Communications, du, said, “du LaLiga HPC has become a preferred talent scouting source for global and regional clubs and national teams in two short years. This is testament to the power of this platform in identifying and grooming the youth of the UAE to the standards of the world’s strongest league, LaLiga, and providing them with the best opportunities to be scouted and pursue their dreams for professional football internationally, regionally and nationally.”
Fernando Sanz, General Director, LaLiga MENA commented on the trials saying, “I am very pleased with the outstanding performance of the du LaLiga HPC players. This summer alone, 6 players have already been scouted for trials with LaLiga Clubs, which reflects their talent and the strength of the program we put in place to develop talented youth’s skills and abilities at the hands of our best LaLiga UEFA Pro-certified coaches.”
Sanz added: “We established the Centre two years ago to provide talented UAE-based youth with a clear pathway to development, enabling them to train at LaLiga standards in preparation for pro-football careers. With 3 players having received professional contracts and 19 players having received trials with LaLiga and regional clubs as well as national teams, we are proud to contribute to building a pipeline of talent at a national, regional and international level.”
This year, the du LaLiga HPC expanded its categories to include the younger U12 age category, in addition to the U14, U16 & U18 categories, to allow for longer development pathways, enabling athletes to receive a comprehensive LaLiga training programme starting from the age of 9 until the age of 18, in line with the pathway that talented youth would receive in Spain.
Top talented players can be selected to join the du LaLiga HPC from the du Football Champions, the professional scouting platform in partnership with LaLiga featuring the official UAE Schools and Streets Cups and designed to help discover the finest of the UAE’s rising football stars.