OPINION – We should not be disappointed when young footballers move abroad

Belgian footballers Yannick Carrasco, Divock Origi and the Dutch defender Nathan Aké have one thing in common: they left their own country as a teenager before making their debut in the Belgian or Dutch league. All three of them have had relatively successful careers. Aké is a regular starter for one of the best teams in the world Manchester City, Carrasco has been a good player for Atletico Madrid for years and Origi will always be a Liverpool legend for his goal against FC Barcelona in the Champions League. Even if their careers abroad would not have been so successful, they probably still would have had a life-changing experience.

Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (left) moved to French Club AS Monaco when he was sixteen. Photo: Дмитрий Садовников (CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL)

When a young Belgian or Dutch player leaves before making their debut in their own country there is often a feeling of disappointment. Many people question the intentions of the player and often they are given zero chance to succeed abroad by the media and the general public because they think it is too early. But it is not necessarily a bad thing for these young players to move abroad.

In 2019, the University of Antwerp and Stirr Associates published research that concluded that young footballers who move to England before making their debut in their own national league are risking a successful career. They stated that it is important for a young player to have the prospect of playing minutes for the first team.

Lucky ones

Firstly, moving to a club in the English Premier League may not be the best choice in my opinion. The prospect of breaking into the first team is slim and only given to a few lucky ones. The Premier League is the best competition in the world and every club spends a tremendous amount of money each transfer window to bring in new players.

However, I believe moving to England also has its pros. Young talents are training with exceptional players and talents which can surely benefit their own game. They will develop their physical game and are forced to build mental strength in order to sustain the physicality of English football. Even though it is hard to break through to the first team in England, there are some clubs that focus on developing their own youth such as Brighton & Hove Albion where talented youngsters Moisés Caicedo (21) and Evan Ferguson (18) have been making a big impression this season.

Picking the right club

In my opinion, picking the right club and the right league is the most important choice for a teenager when moving abroad. And perhaps it might be better to go to Germany or France. In the last few years, we have seen an increasing trend of young English players moving abroad too. Jude Bellingham (19) and Jadon Sancho (22) are perhaps the most successful examples as they both broke through at Borussia Dortmund.

Secondly, some players have said that moving abroad was the best choice for their career. The 20-year-old English footballer Noni Madueke moved to the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven when he was just sixteen. He stated that he was able to fully focus on his career as there were fewer distractions in new surroundings abroad.

Besides, there are a lot of other potential benefits of moving abroad. You step out of your comfort zone, you mature as a person and you develop cultural awareness. When I was nineteen, I moved from The Netherlands to England by myself. I developed as a person, I learnt to understand my true potential and I got to know myself better. Something that would have never happened in the comfort of where I grew up. You are also more likely to make close friends because for social interactions you are forced to go out there and get to know people.

Obviously, moving abroad can also have its downsides. Experiencing loneliness from time to time can be one of them. But, if young footballers are able to embrace the experience, they will be able to form new friendships and turn this period of their lives into a successful and meaningful one full of self-development.

No guarantees anywhere

Thirdly, there is also never a guaranteed way to success and first-team football for any player in their own country either. We never know how a career of a player pans out. The 28-year-old Dutch Surinamese winger Sheraldo Becker came through Ajax’s youth academy. He did not really break through and was eventually sold to ADO Den Haag after a loan spell at fellow Dutch club PEC Zwolle. Even at ADO Den Haag, he never set the Eredivisie alight. In the summer of 2019, he moved to Germany to join Union Berlin and this season he has been one of their most important players as they are challenging for the German title. A turnaround I never expected.

A footballer’s career can never be predicted and it is impossible for us to decide what is a right or wrong choice. Maybe moving abroad can risk a successful football career, but the question of whether they will have had one if they stayed also remains. At least a move abroad will have made sure they come back a more mature and developed person with a life-changing experience that will be beneficial to any part of their life.

Text: Rik Tuinstra

Photo: Дмитрий Садовников (CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL)