Yahoo Sports is reporting that Real Madrid has signed 7-year-old Argentinian soccer phenom Leonel Angel Coira. Coira, who goes by the name Leo like Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi, who signed as a teenager, will begin training in September.
Coira told the Argentine sports daily Ole last week that his idol is Messi and he prefers to pass rather than score. He already has a Facebook page featuring photos of his visit to Real Madrid.
Madrid reportedly made the push to sign Coira because Spanish-league rival Atletico Madrid was also pursuing the youngster.
Wow. Little Leo must be something special if this type of success is happening to him at such a young age. While he'll play in a youth league and will then go to the big club if he's good enough, he is sure to face some grown-up issues. Let's hope it turns out as well for him as it did for Messi, who went on to win two World Player of the Year awards.
While we wish Coira success, we can only imagine the tough time he will have adjusting socially. Hopefully he'll get the same type of guidance off of the field that he will get on the field so that he can stay on track in his personal and professional life.
Read more at Yahoo Sports.
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