2019-05-01_World_Soccer

(Ben W) #1
(Crystal Palace & Eng)
You know you are doing something right
when strong rumours circulate about a
£40million Manchester United bid for
your services. But for the 21-year-old
right-back it is just another indicator
of how far he has come since joining
Crystal Palace at the age of 11.
These days young autograph and
selfie-hunters come running to the
doorstep of his family home when
they see his car arriving.
“There are some days when I just want
to get to a place for a certain time and
not get stopped [for autographs] but I am
used to it now,” says the defender.
Born in south London, his family have
been integral in his development after
Palace considered releasing him at 14.
“I was turning up late, I was lazy and I
wasn’t trying in training, looking tired,” he
admits. “Other players were fitter, doing

more than me and I was just slowly going
down the pecking order. I was drifting
away with the wrong friends and there
were times I’d have training at seven but
be out with them before and it would
make me late.
“Palace were looking to release me
because of things like that, but my dad
stopped me from seeing those friends. I
was annoyed with him then, but it was
the right thing he did, he snapped me
out of it and I fixed up.”
In October 2015 he was involved in
England under-17s’ final warm-up game
ahead of the World Cup in Chile. The
young Lions beat DR Congo 8-0, but
Wan-Bissaka was not playing in his usual
defensive position or even for England;
instead, he was representing his parents’
country in attack, in front of senior
England manager Roy Hodgson.
Less than two years later he made his

Palace debut under Frank De Boer in the
Premier League Asia Trophy in Hong
Kong, in defence, having switched the
previous season from right-wing to
right-back after coaches had noticed his
penchant for tackling in training.
A Premier League debut followed, in
February 2018, with Hodgson, who was

now in charge at Palace. The months
following Wan-Bissaka’s league debut
would see him make his bow for England
under-20s, sign a deal with Palace until
June 2022 and receive an under-21
call-up.“I just kept it to myself for a bit
but then I told my dad,” he says of his first
England call-up. “I know my dad was

(Ajax & Hol)
The 22-year-old
midfielder has
been one of
the stars of
the Amsterdam
side’s Champions
League run and
could be the latest
starlet to leave the
club. Tottenham
Hotspur and Roma
are reported to be
leading the hunt
for the talented
playmaker.

(Benfica & Por)
Nineteen-year-old
who burst onto the
scene this season,
breaking into the
Benfica first team
and earning
interest from Real
Madrid. Joint top-
scorer as Portugal
won the Euro
Under-19s last
year, he is set
to star at this
summer’s Under-
20 World Cup.

JOTA DONNY VAN DE BEEK


AARON WAN-BISSAKA


MOST WANTED Academy alumni


“I was turning up late, I
was lazy and I wasn’t
trying in training”
Free download pdf