In the current footballing world, there are 2 types of clubs - one, who rely on primarily developing their own talent, like Arsenal and Athletic Bilbao and another that is not afraid to splash the cash to assemble a star cast. Despite Manchester City being categorised in the latter category by most people since the multi-million takeover of the club by Sheikh Mansour, the club has gone on to great lengths to establish an academy that has state of the art of the facilities to nurture young talent from across the globe.
The facilities are well complemented by an extensive scout network established by the club to pull the best of the young talent to the academy, and soon we could find a host of players trained by the world class academy plying their trade in City colours.
One young player who is believed to be rising rapidly through the ranks at the club is young Spaniard Brahim Diaz and in this segment, we profile the youngster who has been making the right noises for the Manchester club.
Background
The Malaga-born Brahim Diaz began his footballing journey at the academy of his hometown club. Such were his performances during his time at the club that Manchester City, who were on the lookout for attracting the best young to its newly opened facility were willing to shell out £300,000 for the 14-year-old midfielder in 2013.
The player, who was also being tracked by Barcelona, even met the likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta but he ultimately decided to move to the Manchester club in order to ensure his development as a footballer. While the fee could rise to £2 million should he make the cut at the club, it could prove to be a pittance given the skill set the player possesses.
He was fast-tracked into the U-18 side at the age of 16 and has since established himself as one of the key young players for the side.
Style of Play and Strengths
Diaz’s playing style has seen him being dubbed as The Spanish Messi by a certain section of media. The diminutive attacking midfielder, who possesses a low centre of gravity has shown a penchant for twisting and turning his way past the opposition defenders. While not being the fastest man on the pitch, he uses his skill on the ball and an excellent close control to make space and time for himself in the opposition half.
Though he is primarily a right-footed player, he is very comfortable on either foot and is very tidy with his passing as well as in possession. A creative player who can make a defence-splitting pass and link up well with his attacking colleagues, Diaz is a constant menace to the opposition and adds immensely to the attacking threat of the side he plays in.
The player has a trick up his sleeve almost every single time and is a tough man to dispossess off the ball, making him a player in the mould of the current Manchester City superstar David Silva.
However, it is his goal scoring ability that has caught the eye of a number of pundits across Europe. He is nimble in movement, constantly probes the opposition’s defence with his drilling runs and can finish the chances that come his way.
Weaknesses
At just 17 years of age, while the Spaniard is still in a developmental stage as a player as well as an individual, he is of a slight frame, a trait that might not serve him best, should he be promoted to the main team. Also, his decision making could improve with age as well as extended playing time as he has shown a tendency to spend too much time on the ball despite being an advantageous situation.
Pep Guardiola has developed a reputation for himself as a manager who is unafraid to hand the youngsters at his club the required chances, having handed Thiago Alcantara as well as Gianluca Gaudino their senior debuts amongst a number of other players and Diaz will be provided with his chance should he continue to shine like he has done so far.
With David Silva hitting the 30-year mark, the club would be well served if they identify the right talent and promote him to the first team and Diaz has all the ingredients of making it big.
