Young Maltese Footballer Hits Barcelona FC’s Youth Academy, Captains Team On Match Day
One, young, talented footballer lived the dream after training at one of World Football’s all-time greats, Barcelona FC, even captaining her team on matchday.
Swieqi United’s up-and-coming talent Nina-Lee Naudi, 12, has one mission: to become a professional player.
That mission may yet become a reality after her zeal continues to place her beneath the wings of some of Europe’s finest.
Following an intense training camp at the Etihad Stadium (Manchester City), she’s wasted no time in hitting the pitch at the Nou Camp itself, at Barcelona.
“Barcelona is my favourite team,” she told Lovin Malta. “So it was amazing to get a chance to train with their team and coaches.”
Her adventure has seen her spend some time in the academy, where she resided with teammates from across the globe, all sharing the same mission.
“I was one of seven girls among 36 children, all from around the world,” she said.
That didn’t stop the tiny 12-year-old from leading her squad on the final day of the camp, as captain, on match day.
“The training was intense,” she added. “But still very similar to the training we do back at home. Our coach believes in the same training style.”
“But still, the kids there were all of a really high level.”
Nina-Lee lives and breathes football, having found her love for the game at the tender age of four years old.
Eight years later, she now represents the country in Malta’s under-16 team.
Passion for sport in Malta often takes prospective athletes to lands afar in their journey to hone their talents.
Last January, Lovin Malta sat with Lorenzo Grossi, the man in charge of Juventus academies across all of Europe, who even stated that taking one’s game abroad should be an ‘integral part’ of a young athlete’s development.
Nina-Lee’s return to Malta only had her gearing for more, as together with her team and parents, she continues to eye more adventures down the road.
Nina-Lee, take a bow!