'Talent Is Everywhere' - LaLiga Coaches Spread Knowledge In Southern Africa

Loading player...
There is great football talent all around the world, but the key is how to develop young players with raw ability into the finished article for professional football. That is the view of LaLiga Senior Specialist in Football Projects Development Saul Vazquez, who tells The COSAFA Show finding players with talent in different countries is not the problem, but the deciding factor in whether they make it in the game is often the environment they are in.
There might be a potential global great in Southern Africa as we speak, but if they do not get the right training and opportunities to reach their potential, they never will, according to Vazquez. “Talent is everywhere, you can see good players in different countries. The difference is the way to develop them or the chances to develop them,” Vazquez says, adding that is a message they drive home in their LaLiga Masterclass coaching workshops.
“Sometimes the difficulty is to understand the context. That is why we can adapt our philosophy and methodology to the real context. It does not matter if we are in America, India, China or South Africa, if we can adapt our content and methodology to those players, and adapt a little bit to the environment, then everywhere we can build good players.”
LaLiga has been hosting workshops for Southern African coaches this month and Sports Projects Coordinator Carlos Casal echoes Vazquez’s views.
“For us, it is a wonderful opportunity because we believe there is huge talent in Southern Africa – not only with players but also coaches,” Casal says. 
“We believe they have interest in the methodology and how they can go one step further, and the good thing is that in this coaching series with COSAFA, we were analysing what we did in the past.
Vazquez and Casal discuss a whole range of issues on this episode of The COSAFA Show, including what makes Spain such a successful footballing country.
We also hear from the coaches of Zambia and South Africa Womens teams.
25 Feb 2022 English South Africa Soccer · Sports

Other recent episodes

Tshabalala Wary Of As Far Threat In CAF Women's Champions League Final

Mamelodi Sundown Ladies coach Jerry Tshabalala sat down with The COSAFA Show to discuss Sunday’s final of the CAF Women’s Champions League where they will take on home team AS FAR in Rabat. Sundowns are seeking back-to-back titles but will be up against an excellent opponent, as Tshabalala describes. “They…
11 Nov 2022 18 min

The CAF African Schools Championship| COSAFA Qualifier Ready For Kick-Off!

In this episode of The COSAFA Show, General Secretary Sue Destombes gives us the lowdown on the CAF African Schools Championship | COSAFA Qualifier that is being staged in Lilongwe, Malawi from Saturday. It is yet another exciting addition to the COSAFA football calendar but has a twist in that…
28 Oct 2022 36 min

All Set For TotalEnergies AFCON U20 Egypt 2023|COSAFA Qualifier

In this edition of The COSAFA Show we look ahead to the exciting TotalEnergies AFCON U20 Egypt 2023 | COSAFA Qualifier in Eswatini from October 7-16, where the best young talent in the regional will go head-to-head. They will not only chase the coveted COSAFA trophy, but also attempt to…
30 Sep 2022 25 min

All eyes Turn To Eswatini For Zonal Qualifier

The HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship is now a thing of the past and we are already looking ahead to two more tournaments on the horizon. Next up is the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship in Durban from September 25-October 1, as well as the and the regional men’s Under-20 championship…
16 Sep 2022 21 min

Lungu Wants To Add Reginal Crown To Recent Trophy Haul

Our latest episode of The COSAFA Show comes just days away from the start of the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship on Wednesday, where East African guest nation Tanzania will seek to retain the title they won last year. But there will be any number of challengers for the trophy, not…
26 Aug 2022 27 min