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      Ex-Arsenal wonderkid Musah, 17, is the first Englishman to play for Valencia and has captained England’s youth teams

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      THEY might just regret letting this one go.
      In 2019 Yunus Musah was allowed to leave Arsenal, after seven years training at their Hale End academy, for pastures new.

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      Yunus Musah became the first Englishman to play for Valencia and their youngest ever foreign debutantCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Musah, 17, spent seven years with Arsenal before leaving for Valencia in 2019Credit: Getty – Contributor

      There were rumblings inside the club that coaches believed it was a serious mistake to grant the talented midfielder, capped by England at youth level, a move to Valencia.
      But Arsenal’s loss is the La Liga giant’s gain – with Musah, 17, growing in confidence in Spain.
      Last weekend, the outstanding midfielder made his debut for Los Che in a 4-2 win over Levante UD, and he is expected to be in the squad for tomorrow’s clash against Celta Vigo.
      He is the first Englishman to have played for Valencia, and the club’s all-time youngest foreign player. Here’s his story.

      BORN IN NY, RAISED IN LONDON
      Musah was born in New York, where his mum was on holiday at the time.
      The family, of Ghanaian descent, lived in Italy until he was nine where he played for local team Giorgione.
      They then moved to London and he was immediately snapped up by Arsenal, eventually graduating from their Hale End academy.
      Musah was highly-rated in North London, having played a significant role in helping the U18 side win the Premier League in 2019 – scoring five goals in 17 appearances.

      But last year he felt Valencia offered him a better pathway towards first-team football, and it appears that was the right decision for the exciting youngster.

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      Musah was born in New York to Ghanaian parents and raised in Italy and EnglandCredit: Instagram @ yunus.musah8

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      So far Musah has played for England at U15, U16, U17 and U18 levelCredit: Rex Features

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      A leader among boys, Musah has captained the Three Lions at various levelsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      INTERNATIONAL PEDIGREE
      Born in the USA, with Ghanaian parents and having UK and Italian citizenship means Musah can play for all those countries.
      But, so far, he’s been loyal to England – playing internationally at U15, U16, U17, and most recently U18 level.
      He’s also been named Three Lions captain a number of times, and is seen as a real leader of his generation.
      Should he continue his rapid ascension in the game, expect Italy, Ghana and the USA to test the waters of his loyalty to see if he will switch allegiances.
      WHAT KIND OF PLAYER IS HE?
      An attacking midfielder with an eye for a pass, Musah is strong on the ball.
      His athleticism allows him to run past players with ease and create opportunities for his team-mates.
      Able to play as a No10 or out wide, he also boasts fine dribbling skills and has an eye for goal.
      But he’s a sucker for perfection and knows where he needs to improve.

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      Athletic Musah in action against Levante last weekendCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Musah can play as a No10 or out wideCredit: AFP or licensors
      “I want to score more goals and be more consistent with my passes as well,” he said.
      “Sometimes in the game I can do so many good passes and one bad one, I want to correct that.”
      PRAISE BE
      Musah is expected to feature plenty more times for Valencia this season, and has the backing of his manager.

      He already speaks excellent Spanish and was seen on his debut constantly talking to his team-mates and showing the self-confidence needed to be a success.
      His coach Javi Gracia highlighted Musah’s maturity in his post-match press conference after the Levante match, insisting that he believes the wonderkid has the ability and mindset to reach the very top.
      With Arsenal looking to add midfielders like Thomas Partey and Houssem Aouar to their squad, they might’ve missed a trick not integrating Musah into their first-team set-up sooner.

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      Musah has the maturity to succeed at the highest levelCredit: Rex Features

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      Arsenal may rue letting Musah leave North LondonCredit: Instagram @ yunus.musah8

      Aubameyang signs new £350k-a-week contract and says he wants to become an Arsenal legend More

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      Bayern Munich Champions League hero Alphonso Davies was born in a refugee camp, fled to Canada before becoming a star

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      FROM a refugee camp to the Champions League within the space of two decades – jet-heeled Alphonso Davies has one incredible story to tell.
      The 19-year-old Canadian flying winger joined Bayern Munich for £17million in January, 2019 from Vancouver Whitecaps, the biggest fee ever paid for an MLS player.

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      Alphonso Davies has overcome the toughest of upbringings to become a star at Bayern

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      Davies was in devastating form in the 8-2 rout of BarcelonaCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Davies earned the respect of Lionel Messi with his performanceCredit: Manu Fernandez
      And in the past year, he has showed it was money well spent as he blossomed into, arguably, the best left-back in the world.
      In Bayern’s 8-2 destruction of Barcelona, who rejected him as a youngster, in last week’s Champions League quarter-final tie, Davies tore a shred out of experience Portuguese international Nelson Semedo to set up the Germans’ fifith goal.
      He also devastating in his side’s 3-0 win over Chelsea in the Champions League back in February.
      The lightning winger-turned-full-back was sensational at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea could not get near him.

      Bayern team-mate Thomas Muller said: “He’s learnt a lot since he’s been here. It was a world class performance.”
      And former Munich and England star Owen Hargreaves said: “What an athlete he is. He’s a winger, he’s played as a full-back this season, and he’s been absolutely outrageous.”
      It has been an amazing journey, as he was born in a refugee camp in Ghana in 2000.

      It was hard to live there because the only way you survive sometimes is you have to carry guns, too. And we didn’t have any interest in shooting guns
      Father Debeah Davies

      WAR-TORN BEGINNINGS
      When the Second Liberian Civil War started, his parents Victoria and Debeah Davies fled their homeland.

      “You had to cross over bodies to go and find food,” his mother Victoria said.
      “It was hard, it was dangerous,” father Debeah said.
      “It was hard to live there because the only way you survive sometimes is you have to carry guns, too. And we didn’t have any interest in shooting guns.”
      They travelled hundreds of miles across West Africa, eventually finding sanctuary in a refugee camp at Buduburam in the Gomoa East District of Ghana.

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      Alphonso Davies terrorised Chelsea’s Reece JamesCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Buduburam Refugee Camp, east of Accra, where Alphonso Davies was bornCredit: AFP – Getty

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      Alphonso Davies is a sublime athleteCredit: Rex Features

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      Alphonso Davies made his debut for Canada aged 16 shortly after gaining citizenship

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      Alphonso Davies was too much for Chelsea to handleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Their eldest child Alphonso was born on November 2, 2000, and he spent the first five years of his life in the camp.
      Eventually they passed an interview for a resettlement programme and settled in Edmonton, Canada.
      HE DISCOVERED FOOTBALL
      Alphonso enrolled in the Free Footie programme – an after-school initiative for inner-city kids who cannot afford registration fees or transportation to games.
      He was spotted by the Whitecaps, and four years ago, at the age of just 15, Davies was handed his professional debut for reserve team Whitecaps FC 2.
      A month later he scored his first senior goal.

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      Alphonso Davies’ style has been likened to that of Gareth BaleCredit: USA TODAY Sports

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      Alphonso Davies scored against French Guiana, and has five goals already for CanadaCredit: AFP or licensors
      Later that summer, former Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson took the punt and gave Davies his first taste of top-flight football, making him the second youngest MLS player after Freddy Adu.
      ‘HE CAN RUN ALL DAY’
      Robinson, 41, a former Wolves, Sunderland and Norwich midfielder, now in charge of A-League side Newcastle Jets, said: “Alphonso has all the attributes you want top players to have: he’s 6ft 1in, he’s an athlete, he can run all day, he has phenomenal pace.

      He was very skinny and slight but once he beat one or two players other coaches saw the same potential I saw in him
      Former coach Carl Robinson

      “What he needs to work on is the fact he does the really hard things well and yet he sometimes messes up the simple things. But that’s down to concentration.
      “I wanted to get him in the first-team environment because I saw him as this energetic, hungry player, who could cope with men but had to be taught sooner rather than later.
      “I have always been sick of stories of players who have talent but were not given the chance.
      “He was very skinny and slight but once he beat one or two players other coaches saw the same potential I saw in him.

      “Remember, he was still a young boy, he liked going out for ice cream, playing on his PlayStation until 2am. Which, of course, is not ideal for being a pro footballer.
      “But I tried to find a balance between letting him being a boy and going through and learning his own mistakes.

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      Carl Robinson is the former head coach of the Vancouver WhitecapsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Alphonso Davies celebrates scoring against the San Jose EarthquakesCredit: AP:Associated Press
      “He’s a brilliant person. He likes to dance and sing.
      “He is a proper human being. His mum and dad deserve a lot of credit for bringing him up the right way.”
      In 2018, Davies received Canadian citizenship.
      Once the formalities were agreed, he became, at the age of 16, the youngest player to represent the Canada men’s national team.
      JUST LIKE GARETH BALE
      Several Premier League clubs showed interest in Davies, notably Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, but the Bayern offer proved too lucrative to turn down.
      Robinson, a former Wales international, said: “Alphonso has the mentality of Robbie Keane, who played with an edge, didn’t care about anybody when he came through at 15.
      “But his characteristics are like Gareth Bale.

      “I worked with Gareth at Wales, and I would say Alphonso is around the same level.
      “Alphonso moved to a big club at 17; Gareth didn’t get his chance until later.
      “But they are very similar and I liken them to each other.
      “His incredible story is the reason why you play this game.
      “He has proved dreams do come true.”

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      The £17m fee for Davies is the highest ever paid for an MLS playerCredit: USA TODAY Sports

      Alphonso Davies pens new Bayern Munich contract until 2025 More

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      Man City teen Tommy Doyle follows in the footsteps of grandads club legends Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe in making debut

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      AS he high-fived Riyad Mahrez and ran onto the pitch, Tommy Doyle followed a family tradition.
      The 18-year-old midfielder made his Premier League debut for Manchester City in their 5-0 rout of Newcastle on Wednesday – just like his grandads did before him.

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      Tommy Doyle, 18, has followed in the footsteps of his grandads by playing for Man CityCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Pep Guardiola gives Tommy Doyle his instructions before he makes his debutCredit: Reuters
      ‘ONE OF THEIR OWN’
      The teen sensation showed some impressive touches during his 15-minute cameo, and looks nailed on to become an absolute superstar.
      Amidst the galaxy of superstars at the Etihad, it is easy to overlook the other side of the coin…how increasingly difficult it has got for homegrown talent to break through.
      With the sale of Leroy Sane to Bayern Munich and David Silva retiring at the end of this campaign, there will be a window of opportunity for others to impress.
      But if there is a downside, it is the lack of a locally produced presence that winds up City fans.

      Because let’s face it, as much as the supporters love seeing the best in the business, nothing gets them going like “one of our own.”
      They have had a glimpse of the future with Phil Foden, who burst onto the scene when he inspired England’s Under 17 World Cup triumph.

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      Doyle has starred for Man City at youth levelCredit: Getty – Contributor

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      Glyn Pardoe during his City daysCredit: PA:Press Association
      Yet as magnificent as young Foden is going to be, there is another City starlet bubbling just below who those in the know at the Etihad reckon could ultimately be even better.
      That youngster is Tommy. The boy whose grandparents – Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe – are both City legends.

      Tommy is the child of the late Mike Doyle’s son Scott and Pardoe’s daughter Charlotte, who met when they were toddlers and their dads were team-mates.
      Hence that derby-winning pedigree from earlier.
      The 2020 Doyle is just 18, but is already a regular in the City youth ranks and rated by many wise heads as the closest thing to Steven Gerrard since, well, Steven Gerrard.

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      City fans pay tribute to Mike Doyle in 2015Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      Glyn Pardoe

      Age: 71
      380 games, 22 goals for Man City 1962-1976
      Centre-forward who reinvented himself into a full back
      Broke his leg tackling George Best in 1970

      Many youth coaches insist the teenager is far and away the best midfielder of his age in the country.
      Two-footed, great balance, a great attitude, an even greater will to win…this kid has got the lot.
      He invariably sees a pass ahead of anyone else on the field, he is aggressive when needed, but equally a calming influence – in short, a leader way above his tender years.
      That’s one of the reasons he hasn’t just skippered England at his own age level, but also a year above.
      One interesting anecdote comes from when Wayne Rooney took son Kai to train at the City Football Academy, and young Tommy was sent to greet the pair.

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      Doyle pictured in his City colours during the 1977/78 seasonCredit: Getty – Contributor

      Mike Doyle

      Died 2011, aged 64
      570 games, 41 goals for Man City 1965-1978
      Defender capped five times for England
      Captained City to League Cup victory in 1976

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      Compared to Steven Gerrard, Doyle looks to have a bright futureCredit: Reuters
      As he shook hands with the then United hero, he introduced himself and said his name. Rooney replied: “I know who you are…we all do.”
      Such was the renown of Tommy even then – and that was back in 2016.
      And now he’s broken into the City senior side, the sky is the limit.

      Don’t forget the name, this young man is heading right to the top. He won’t be Glyn Pardoe’s grandson for too many years.
      Before long, it will be Pardoe who is proudly telling everybody “I’m Tommy Doyle’s granddad!” More

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      Meet Leroy Sane replacement Jayden Braaf, the Man City winger rated a’£80m player’, and as promising as Sancho

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      IN a year’s time, Manchester City fans might be saying ‘Sane who?’ And it may not be because they’ve splashed a fortune on a new winger to replace the German international, who has just signed for Bayern Munich for £55million. Jayden Braaf could be the ready-made replacement for Leroy SaneCredit: Getty Images – Getty It […] More

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      Man Utd teenager Teden Mengi is rapid defender and star in the making who has been fast-tracked into first-team squad

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      THERE’S a buzz around Manchester United’s Carrington training ground, and that’s not just because the club look like they’re heading in the right direction. A steady crop of exciting youngsters are beginning to take centre stage under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as the Norwegian promised in his mandate when he first took the job. Teden Mengi, […] More

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      Ex-Chelsea wonderkid Jamal Musiala, 17, made his Bundesliga debut for Bayern Munich and is rated as the next best thing

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      THIS weekend, Jamal Musiala continued his impressive rise by coming on as a sub for Bayern Munich in their 3-1 win over SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga. The promising attacking midfielder, plucked from Chelsea’s academy last summer, was a late replacement for club legend Thomas Muller with just a couple of minutes left on the […] More

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      Ex-Chelsea wonderkid Jamal Musiala is the second youngest goalscorer in Germany’s third tier and plays for Bayern Munich

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      EARLIER this week, Jamal Musiala announced himself in spectacular fashion to Bayern Munich fans. The promising attacking midfielder, plucked from Chelsea’s academy last summer, scored his first two goals for the Bavarians, playing for their reserve side in Germany’s third tier, 3.Liga. Jamal Musiala (centre) is beginning to make a name for himself at Bayern […] More

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      Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies was born in a refugee camp, fled to Canada before becoming star in German football

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      FROM a refugee camp to the Champions League within the space of two decades – jet-heeled Alphonso Davies has one incredible story to tell. The 19-year-old Canadian flying winger joined Bayern Munich for £17million in January, 2019 from Vancouver Whitecaps, the biggest fee ever paid for an MLS player. Alphonso Davies has overcome the toughest […] More