U-20 star retraces the steps of soccer greats
PLAYING for a club that has produced Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani makes South African youngster Liam Jordan feel like he is in the right hands.
At Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, Jordan is maturing on and off the pitch, and you can see that in the way he conducts himself. What’s even better is that the former Bidvest Wits striker is being trained by the same fitness coach who worked with Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo. What more can the 18year-old ask for?
“You look at those players [who have been produced by Sporting] and take confidence from that because you are in the right place and you are learning from the right coaches.
“The fitness coach who trained Ronaldo speaks to me everyday and he helps me out with my training programme. Cristiano is now the best in the world, so for me this is a great opportunity,” said Jordan, who joined Sporting last August.
Jordan, who is not a first- team player yet, has only been with Sporting reserves for six months and he’s currently back home for the national under-20 team’s preparations for the upcoming U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia.
“The first few months are always a learning process. It was good for me to be away for six months, to mature and be away from family and people who do things for me when I need it. So I have to do things for myself and it’s been a great learning experience.
“The culture, the food, the people and waking up every morning realising you are in Europe ... it’s a different level.”
With all the lessons in Europe, Jordan makes U-20 coach Thabo Senong’s job easier. “Tactical wise I have improved. In Europe, they always say the ball determines where the player must be. They also drill the technical side of football, but at my age you should already have that. I learn so much and I can come back and apply it in the national team.”
Jordan scored three goals to help Amajita qualify for Afcon, and he’ll be a key player once the tournament kicks off in Zambia on February 26.