Sweet 16: The well-schooled Nix player
Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues was born the same year the Phoenix Football Club was founded and he still can’t legally drive himself to training.
“Every time I was on the bench I would always watch the players in my position closely to see what they do to perform well.’’
Less than 48 hours after making his A-League Men debut for the Wellington Phoenix, Gabriel SloaneRodrigues had a very different type of assignment to tackle on Monday morning: School work.
The 16-year-old academy product created history as the club’s youngestever player when he took the field as a late substitute in the Phoenix’s 1-0 defeat to Melbourne City last Saturday night.
Aged 16 years, 8 months and 6 days, Sloane-Rodrigues surpassed former Phoenix striker Ben Waine, who was 17 years, 1 month and 27 days when he made his debut. Sloane-Rodrigues was born in July 2007, one month before the Phoenix played their inaugural A-League match.
The young forward is only on his learner licence and cannot legally drive himself to training.
“When I first started training with the first team, one of the first things I did was check out a couple of records about debuts, youngest player to score, that sort of stuff,” Sloane-Rodrigues said.
“It was one of my goals to be the youngest one to debut for the club but I didn’t think I would. But I started to train quite well this year and that’s what has got me to this stage.”
Sloane-Rodrigues’ dad Jorginho represented Brazil at age-group level alongside a young Ronaldo Nazário.
Gabriel was invited to train with the Phoenix first team ahead of the 2023-24 season after coach Giancarlo Italiano spotted him playing for an under-18 academy team.
“He watched the reserve game which was before our game and he got caught up talking to someone and then watched our game and I played pretty well and that’s what got me the opportunity, so it was the right place, right time.”
Sloane-Rodrigues attended Wellington High School last year but has taken his education online this year as he was beginning to miss too many classes due to his busy schedule.
“I did a bit today and I even did a bit before the game when I was in Aussie. Because it’s online, I just take my computer with me and try to do my work,” he said. “I still go into school sometimes and visit my friends at lunch time and play some football with them.”
Despite his inexperience, SloaneRodrigues was brought on with one minute left in stoppage time against Melbourne City on Saturday, trusted by Italiano to help the Phoenix find a late equaliser.
Although a late goal never materialised, Sloane-Rodrigues said he felt prepared for his A-League debut after sitting on the bench in five previous matches.
“It helped me when I did come on because I knew what to expect. Every time I was on the bench I would always watch the players in my position closely to see what they do to perform well, how they press and what they do on the ball and all that stuff.
“Yes, I really wanted to get on, I was hungry to get on, but I felt like it was good for me to be patient and I got my opportunity the other night.”
As well as pushing for a professional contract, Sloane-Rodrigues said his main objectives for the rest of the season were to help the Phoenix win their first trophy and to play as many minutes as possible.
He also wants to establish himself as a goal-scorer. “I want some more playing time, whether it’s A-League or with the reserves, because I haven’t got too many minutes.
“I want to score lots of goals this season, no matter what level, and obviously want to win the trophy this season. That’s the main goal, I’d say, for us as a team; win the league.”
Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues
At a glance