EPL’s Everton signs 18-year-old goalkeeper from South Florida
Nico Defreitas-Hansen had the best Fourth of July of his life last week, although there were no fireworks anywhere in sight.
The goalkeeper, who is from Southwest Ranches and turns 18 on Wednesday, was in Liverpool, England, signing a two-year professional contract with Everton after two years at the Premier League club’s academy. He is training with the club’s U23 team, and his goal is to move up one step to the first team.
“Signing this deal is a proud moment for me and my family,” said Hansen, who has developed a slight English accent in his two years there. “I have been working very hard for this.”
Like many South Florida kids, Hansen and his older brother, Luca, grew up playing soccer and Little League baseball. They played soccer for Weston FC and baseball with the Weston Hawks. Both brothers excelled at the sports but chose soccer.
In August 2014, while playing with his Weston team in the prestigious U15 Manchester United Premier Cup, Luca, a center back, was approached by an Everton scout who invited him to a tryout. Rick Hansen, the boys’ father, informed the scout that Luca’s 13-year-old brother, Nico, then a student at Falcon Cove Middle
School, was a talented goalkeeper and asked if he, too, could attend the tryout.
The brothers traveled to Liverpool for a one-week trial in February 2015.
“I was so young, 13, and had no idea what to expect,” Nico said. “It was raining and freezing, 30s in the morning, and most of the boys were out there in shorts, so that took a while to get used to. It was a different level, the facilities, the way they train, the intensity. You have to prove yourself because everyone is fighting for a spot. I was very nervous my first session, but we played a little friendly against a Norwegian team, and I did quite well, so that made a good impression.”
The Everton coaches liked what they saw in Nico and promised to be in touch. Things did not go as well for Luca.
“I was 15 and they had me training an age up with the 18s and, to be honest, the level was way higher than anything I was used to or expected,” Luca said. “The first four days of the trial I was off-pace. I trained with my age, the 16s, at the end of the week, and did better, but they already had their impression of me.”
The following summer, Nico was spotted by a Liverpool scout while in Argentina playing with his Weston FC team. He was invited to a tryout and did well. He also caught the eye of the U.S. Under-16 National Team coaches, who invited him to live and train at their residency program at IMG Academy in Bradenton.
Over the next year, the promising goalkeeper divided his time between Weston FC, the U.S. youth national team, and occasional training with Everton. In August 2017, a month after turning 16, Hansen moved to Everton full-time. He signed a twoyear “scholar” contract with the club, which meant he would take classes twice a week and train full-time. He and two other new players moved in with a host family.
Although it was tough being so far from home, Hansen said the decision was “a no-brainer.” His father is from Denmark, and his mother, Vanessa, is from Brazil, so they understood and supported his passion for soccer.
“When I first got there, I loved it so much,” Hansen said. “The way they treat the game, the culture around it, it’s what I wanted. It makes you respect and appreciate the game so much.”
Hansen recently decided, after much debate, to play for Denmark rather than the United States, partly because it will be easier being based in Europe.
The Hansen brothers last week moved into a Liverpool apartment together. Luca, who played a season at the University of Portland and is now attending college and playing semipro in England, is Nico’s biggest fan.
“I don’t think he realizes what an amazing feat it is to do what he’s done,” Luca, now 20, said. “My friends in Liverpool are so impressed that my brother is with Everton.”
Watching proudly from a distance are Hansen’s Weston coaches.
“Nico was not a normal kid; he was always accelerated,” said Victor Pastora, who is the former director Weston FC and is now a coach with Inter Miami’s development academy. “By 11, we were saying, `Wait a second, this kid is really talented.’ By 13 or 14, we realized he had the qualities to go far. I remember he played four ages up for our U17s in the playoffs. He was born in 2001 and the other boys were 1998s.”
It wasn’t just his athleticism that stood out, Pastora said. It was the way Hansen played the position.
“He made intelligent decisions, was very composed, good hands, good feet, and a very good shotblocker,” Pastora said. “He saw the game a little slower than other players. And he was very passionate, willing to do whatever it took to improve, even move to England at such a young age. But this is only the beginning, an opportunity to become a real pro. I’m excited to see what he does next.”