Sky blue thinking: Leuluai aims high at Man City
Teen with name synonymous with league is excelling at elite football club, writes Michael Burgess
When I look around here, no one looks like me . . . no one is from New Zealand, no one is from Samoa, and I’m proud of that. Marley Leuluai
When pre-season training gets under way at the Manchester City academy next week, the cream of young footballing talent in England will be on display.
With their recent success — and seemingly endless financial resources — the English Premier League champions attract the best and brightest, with some highly recognisable surnames.
There’s Jaden Heskey, son of former Liverpool and England striker Emile, and the twin boys of former Manchester United and Scotland star Darren Fletcher. Freddie Anderson, whose father Viv played for England 30 times and lifted two European Cups with Nottingham Forest, will also be out on the immaculate turf, while the progeny of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Phil Neville have previously worn the light blue.
Among them all is a Kiwi-Samoan kid, with a family name rugby league fans will immediately recognise.
Marley Leuluai is a tall, athletic centre back who has made remarkable progress. Leuluai, who turns 16 in November, could gain a scholarship deal by the end of this year, which would include a threeyear professional contract at the richest club in the world.
There are no guarantees in football — especially in England — but Leuluai has a wonderful grounding, about to start his ninth year in the Manchester City academy system, with the under16 team. That’s no mean feat, as each year, players can be cut from the programme.
“You have to be a certain type of kid because of the high turnover,” father Kylie Leuluai tells the Weekend Herald. “You have to be made for it, all the challenges that come; these are tough kids, durable, resilient.”
Things operate at a level that’s hard to comprehend. As part of the club’s programme, Marley has attended an exclusive private secondary school, with annual fees of close to £20,000 ($38,000). He has played tournaments across Europe and been provided with all his kit since he was nine.
“It’s unbelievable what they experience,” says his father. “Boots, clothing, trips away, where they stay in hotels on their own. So to keep grounded, stay focused and humble is quite hard.”
The search for new talent is big business. Manchester City recently paid more than $650,000 for a youngster from Leeds, with a similar fee to bring a 15-year-old from Arsenal north.
Despite a serious knee injury, which hindered his progress for more than a year, Marley finished the season strongly. The next major milestone comes in November, when the club select their scholarship intake, which includes a fixed three-year pro deal. “Sometimes you forget what he has achieved and what system he’s involved with,” says Kylie. “He has been there since he was so young, so you can take it for granted.”
Marley has formidable sporting heritage. Kylie won six Super League grand finals and two Challenge Cups with Leeds, after spells at Manly and three other NRL clubs. Among Kylie’s cousins are Wigan stalwart Thomas Leuluai — who is approaching 500 games as a professional rugby league player — and former Widnes forward Macgraff Leuluai, while Kiwis and Hull legend James Leuluai is his uncle.
Kylie arrived in England in 2006, to link up with the Rhinos, a few weeks after Marley was born.
Marley’s first sporting interest was tennis, before he was dragged along to a football tournament with some mates. He was initially at Blackburn Rovers, before scouts from Manchester City picked him up as an 8 year old.
Almost every professional club in England has an academy, but none can match the scale of City’s multimillion dollar operation, spread over 32 hectares.
There are 16 football pitches and a 7000-capacity stadium. There are training fields with three depths of grass, three gyms, six hydro-therapy pools, a 56-seat theatre and 80 bedrooms on site, including a four-star hotel.
“Nothing compares to the set-up City have,” said former Manchester United defender Anderson last year.
Marley endured his first significant setback in the
2020-21 season, with a fractured kneecap. It took a long time to return to full fitness, but he finished the last campaign well, including a standout performance in a cup match against Manchester United.
It’s a demanding schedule. During their recent fourweek off-season, his squad were required to maintain base fitness with a weekly
32km running programme, moving closer to
50km during pre-season.
Marley is awake at 6.15am for stretching and core work, before the 60-minute bus ride to school. On Tuesdays and Fridays, players leave school at 12.30pm for training, with additional practices on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. There are also gym and analysis sessions. Marley is also preparing for his GCSE, with examinations next year. “When he’s at home, he just catches up at sleep,” says Kylie.
With two Kiwi parents, Marley has a hybrid accent but it’s much more Coronation Street than Shortland Street. He’s lived all his life in northern England but identifies strongly with his New Zealand roots.
“Definitely,” says Marley, when asked if he is a proud Kiwi. “When I look around here, no one looks like me. No one has the same background as me, and I’m proud of it.
“I’m different and I’m fine with that. Everyone is different but no one is from New Zealand, no one is from Samoa, and I’m proud of that.
“I’ve lived in England all my life, but you know, especially with the people that my Mum and Dad see and their accent, I still feel like a Kiwi, even though I’ve never lived there.”
The knee injury — and associated setbacks — was an ordeal, as he struggled to get his confidence and technique back.
“I probably expected too much of myself,” Marley said. But there was no shortage of wise counsel, including Fletcher, who played more than 200 games for Manchester United and won 80 Scotland caps.
“I was getting a lift back from training with them [Fletcher’s twin boys are teammates] and he said, ‘Keep your head up, keep going, you’ll get your touch back’. And I did. I’ve got a lot stronger mentally.”
Marley hasn’t neglected his school work — “If you ask my Mum, she’d say I don’t do enough homework but I’m doing all right” — but he has almost no time to catch up with friends outside the sport.
“They ask me to go out but they know I play for City, know how busy it is, and they understand.”
City announce their scholarship candidates in November, the next major step after a decade of graft.
“[People] are always asking me, ‘Do you think you’re going to get it?’ I don’t think about it like that. I know within myself that I’m good enough but I need to prove it — if I prove it every session, I know I’ll get one.”
In the unlikely event he doesn’t, it won’t be the end of the road. When the club released six 16-year-olds last season, they were immediately snapped up, with five going to rival Premier League teams.
Marley nominates Ruben Dias and Virgil van Dyk as his favourite players, while Tyson Fury’s struggles through adversity have resonated. But his greatest inspiration has been his father, who bounced around various Sydney clubs before becoming Leeds’ most successful foreign player.
“When he was 19, 20, he played for no money but would do anything to play. Then to see what he did at Leeds; that showed me it’s down to yourself, not other people. He’s helped me the most, he’s told me everything he knows; it’s all down to me now.”
There’s a long way to go but he has foundations that other aspiring Kiwi footballers can only dream about.
“Obviously you want to play in the Premier League and get to where you know you can play, the highest you can play. But injuries have taught me so much. I just look forward to the next game, the next session. I don’t look too far ahead any more.”
His father, who also represented New Zealand Ma¯ori and Samoa, has been a privileged spectator.
“We love the journey,” says Kylie. “He is chasing his dreams, like all my children [Kingston 12, Rocco 10]. Whatever they do, as long as they make sacrifices and put the time and effort into whatever they are trying to chase.
“You’ve got to want it to be in the arena he is now. You got to have that elite mentality and need to be able to pass each challenge that they throw at you.”