Recruitment in the most difficult contexts: The story of the “Flaco”

In scouting and recruiting there are various systems, principles and ways of doing things. Something as trivial as finding a player on the streets may sound a bit surreal, however, there are many clubs that really look in the streets and in the neighborhoods; and the great reality is that today, there might not be Angel Di Maria if it were not for the recruitment efforts of Rubén Tomé.

It all begins with Rubén Tomé, coach of Club Atlético El Torito de Rosario. The coach decided to create a new children's category (Cat. 1988) and decided to go out for a walk around the neighborhood to see if he could recruit players. It was one afternoon when he passed by the block of Perdriel at 2000 and saw him; a very young boy doing tricks 5 blocks from where he lived, in his father's coal yard. Rubén talked to his grandmother who was sweeping the sidewalk, and then spoke to his mother to invite the “skinny” to join the 88 category.

Tomé decided to invite the boy, and his mother took him to his first practice on her bicycle. Angel, along with 5 other boys, was part of what Rubén describes as “the famous 88 category” that played in the Rosario tournament and won the championship. Angel was a different boy, above the rest, winning several titles with El Torito.

Ángel captivated the Club Atlético El Torito with his game, where he spent two years and despite his physique like a noodle, the talent of the “skinny” (as Rubén Tomé calls him) was enormous and his dedication even greater; complemented by the great sacrifice of his parents, his mother who took him on her bicycle to train and who sometimes Rubén himself looked for him to take him to train and who guided him in his first steps in football.

Rubén commented on Radio La Red am 910 about the talent of the skinny guy saying:

“...And that little bit of kick that he has, that little bit of a dive that makes it seem like the ball is bouncing on purpose before when he was in front of the goalkeeper, he did the same thing to me here on the field when I was 7, 8 years old….we practiced the only thing we practiced was corner kicks….he scored Olympic goals with that left foot, it was impressive to see him. He would arrive early and start to inflate the 4 or 5 balls that we had so that when his teammates came, each one would have a little ball….He doesn’t realize how big he is…”

The large number of goals scored by the “skinny guy” caught the attention of the Rosario Central club. Tome remembers that the father of the “skinny guy” told him that Ángel was going to go to Rosario Central in exchange for 10 new balls. From there, Angelito's career took off, making his debut in the first division at 17 and being signed by Benfica of Portugal at 19.

Angel Di Maria is today an example of resilience for all the kids who aspire to be footballers around the world, the player who broke down all the walls in front of him despite all the adversities.

Rubén Tomé, on the other hand, is an example of dedication and love for the sport. Tome believed in Angelito and in his great ability and potential; and he never hesitated to support the "skinny one."

Like Angel Di Maria, there are millions of players who are out of the spotlight and for the scout or recruiter it is also important to understand that even in the most difficult and complicated contexts there is a lot of talent, and sometimes, world-class potential.

Roberto Estrada