His trick shot between rolling tyre caught the attention of the Real Madrid midfielder; Neymar rated the trick shot too.
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Bengaluru’s Aaron Raphael, 4, has been selected to train at Toni Kroos Academy. (Express Photo)
A four-and-a-half-year-old from Bengaluru has caught the attention of Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos after a video of a trick shot was uploaded by his father on Instagram as part of a submission for the former German captain’s academy challenge.
The trick shot, which involved Aaron Raphael passing a ball between a rolling tyre was captured in Thrissur, Kerala, and was adjudged as the best trick shot of Kroos’ challenge. In a video for Sporf, Paris Saint Germain forward Neymar Jr also saw Aaron’s effort and rated the trick shot.
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“The first winner of the Toni Kroos Academy challenge is Aaron Raphael. He made a really good video and I’m really looking forward to seeing you in Madrid for a private training session,” said Kroos on his Instagram handle. Aaron’s father confirmed that the Kroos academy has been in touch with them through Instagram and will arrange for a visit to Madrid in the near future.
According to Aaron’s father Raphael Thomas, it took just over 10 months for his son to start kicking a football. At an age when most children can barely walk, Aaron would display a penchant for football that was unique. Wanting to document the footballing growth of his son, Raphael Thomas started filming clips that he would upload to Instagram.
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Soon the clips were being picked up by other social media handles like 433, Sporf, BRFootball and the Indian Super League. It reached a stage where Aaron’s Instagram handle reached 15,000 followers and close to 40 lakh views were registered on his trick shot that won him the chance to train with Toni Kroos for a session.
“I used to play in Baroda at the district level. My father used to also play football. The game has always been in Aaron’s genes. As soon as he started walking, he was kicking a football,” says Aaron’s father.
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He is also a part of Indian Super League team Bengaluru FC’s soccer schools program. Usually reserved for ages 5.5 and above, the ISL team took a keen interest in the progress of the youngster and has inducted him in their program for no fee.
According to Bengaluru FC technical director Suhel Nair, an AFC ‘A’ licensed coach and head of BFC Soccer Schools and Grassroots, they made an exception for Aaron because of his talent. This didn’t mean that he was added to a higher age group but rather that he was allowed to play by himself and get individualised coaching. They have also periodically introduced him to sessions at the Soccer School but a big no-no has been the physical side of the game.
“It is too premature to make a judgement on how far he can go. But to be honest, we haven’t seen kids who have his kind of control or movement while on the ball,” says Nair. “We have a grassroots academy that caters to children between the ages of 6-12. We have a U-8, U-10 and a U-12 team. From there the best talent is picked and sent to the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Bellary. We have a residential setup there for the 13s, 16s and 18s. That’s the age at which a child should ideally be pushed to get to the next level.”
Nair also said that out of turn promotions happen – there is occasionally the 11-year-old who is deemed to be good enough to play in the U-13/14 teams at IIS. This setup of Bengaluru FC has been in play for the past five years with the hope that players can soon graduate to professional football.
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Aaron is still not a part of actual football games at the Bengaluru Soccer Schools. This is because the size difference between even a seven and eight-year-old can be too much and the age gap has stopped the club’s grassroot program from pushing any further.
Coming to the Toni Kroos training session, Nair said that instances like those may not be a marker of how far a young child can go as a professional player, but are still important in encouraging them to keep with the game and learn when opportunities like these arise.
“We are in the mode of educating parents, that yes while there is talent, the timing of how everything falls in place is also important. Getting to train with Toni Kroos has to be considered as a stepping stone to bigger things. It shouldn’t be the end of things. For us, it’s more important that at his age, he enjoys the sport,” said Nair.
