Cannavaro: "It's not the age of the footballer that matters, but his quality and mental strength"
The head coach of the Uzbekistan national team, Fabio Cannavaro, openly expressed his position on the issue of young players. According to the expert, the decisive factor in football is not the number in the passport - the quality, talent, and character on the field.
"It's not about age, it's about quality," Kannavaro stressed. In his opinion, it is not the age of the footballer that matters, but his talent, readiness for the game, and mental strength as a "fighter."
The Italian coach firmly states one thing: if a player is 17 or 19 years old and ready for the senior game, then they are worthy of the national team. "Why should we keep him at U-20 or U-23 just because he's younger?" Cannavaro asked. That is, it is not the right way to limit a ready-made cadre under the pretext of "age."
Cannavaro also expressed an interesting opinion about scouting and surveillance. He says that if he goes to some debate, it's not just a "visit" or formality. The main goal is to see the player in real conditions, under pressure, at a real pace.
The specialist especially values the atmosphere of the stadium. "Even when I'm away, I love going to stadiums. "Nothing is enough to watch the game live," he said. According to Cannavaro, watching several videos in a row while sitting at home isn't that pleasant, and even boring.
The most important point is "small details." Cannavaro emphasized this very aspect: some small moves, position selection, walking without the ball, determination in a duel, or a one-second decision - may not be visible in the video. But it is possible that these small points will later make a big difference, become a decisive factor.
The conclusion is this: Cannavaro advocates relying on readiness and quality rather than age when selecting for the national team. So, if we see an 18-19-year-old player in the national team tomorrow, we won't be surprised - because he's called up not with a passport, but with his game.
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