Meet The Irresistible 16-Year-Old Sensation That Barcelona Broke The Rules To Get

Meet The Irresistible 16-Year-Old Sensation That Barcelona Broke The Rules To Get.

Is one player worth a year-long transfer ban? Apparently Lee Seung-Woo is. And this video will show you why.

In 2010, Lee Seung-Woo stood out in a crowd of 2.5 million.

The Danone Nations Cup is the most prestigious children’s soccer tournament in the world, and four years ago, millions of hopeful children between the ages of 10 and 12 competed for their chance to represent their nation at the finals in South Africa.

The tournament happens every year. The children are all talented and passionate, but an overwhelming majority will never even get a whiff of the final cut. In the struggle to be the best in the world, the realities of competition don’t wait for anyone to grow up.

In South Africa, Lee Seung-Woo rose to the top of that cauldron of nations. He was the top scorer in the tournament with 12 goals, and his play for South Korea caught the eyes of no less than the finest youth academy in the world: Barcelona’s La Masia.

Even among his peers at La Masia - youth players that grew up friends, in the same neighborhood, at the same school - Lee set himself apart. In his first season playing for Barcelona’s Infantil A squad he scored 38 goals and provided 18 assists in just 29 games. Such production outpaced Messi himself, who, at a year older, scored 38 goals in 30 games during a year at La Masia.

The only thing that grew faster than his ability as a player was his reputation. The inevitable cliche, “Korean Messi,” would be just the beginning in a long train of hype that would ride alongside the young boy for the rest of his youth career.

Then came adversity. Barcelona had broken the rules in their acquisition of the Korean phenomenon, and there was a hefty price to pay, for both Lee and Barcelona. FIFA banned Lee from playing at La Masia, and handed out a crippling one year transfer ban to Barcelona.

Talent, however, banned or not, has a way of showing itself. Enter Lee Seung-Woo’s performance at the 2014 U16 Asian Championships.

source:http://the18.com/