For most 7 year olds, their biggest concerns are where their next fix of candy is coming from and how to advance to the next level on whatever video game they’re playing. Generally speaking, at seven years old, you don’t have real problems and you don’t have real responsibilities.
Seven is the perfect age for a young kid. By seven years old you’ve established your physical dominance among your peers having been kick ball champ two years straight in Kindergarten and grade one. You’ve learned how to ride and fall off a bike correctly and you’re pretty sure you know how babies are made, through kissing of course.
So what’s next at seven years old? Well, if you’re a 7-year old Argentinian named Leonel Angel Coira, you’re already planning your professional football career with Real Madrid.
Believe it or not, Real Madrid has signed a 7-year-old Argentinian boy to join its youth academy. There’s no question the kid must be pretty damn awesome for Real Madrid to take interest in him before he hits puberty, but at the same time, he’s still only seven years old!
“The kid”which should be his nickname from now on, even has a Facebook page with photos of his trip to Real Madrid. I can’t imagine all the kindergarten groupies that must be following him around in the sandbox.
While other seven year olds are playing red-light green light, and hide and go seek, this kid is training to be like his idol Lionel Messi.
Is Real Madrid on the cutting edge of recruiting or are they robbing the cradle? It’s hard to say.
On one hand, there’s countries like China that have been identifying and recruiting potential athletes and putting them in training programs at very young ages for years, this isn’t any different. On the other hand, it’s natural to be concerned about the future for this kid. Too much hype at a young age can have it’s drawbacks, across the pond in the US, LeBron James is a living example of that.
LeBron James also happens to be one of the best basketball players in the world, ring or no ring.
No one knows what the future holds for young Leonel or “Leo” as he’s already known, but you have to wonder where the line will eventually be drawn.
What’s next embryos with professional fathers? Are teams going to start recruiting fetuses that kick real hard while they’re in the womb?
