The desire to one day become a professional footballer and make the leap to European football is an illusion for millions of young talents around the world.
A dream that these days is stronger for 15 international Under 19 footballers who are part of a program with Bayern München called ‘Bayern Munich, World Squad’.
One of those 15 talented youngsters is the 18-year-old striker from Cali, José Daniel Mulato, trained in the minor divisions of Deportivo Cali and who was selected to be in the first camp that takes place in Celaya, Mexico, becoming the only Colombian in live a wonderful experience.
Mulato, a striker trained in the green and white team’s quarry, pointed out that “this experience in the camp with FC Bayern is something wonderful.”
The Jamundeño has played a few minutes with the professional team led by the Uruguayan Alfredo Arias and has great expectations. His name began to sound positive thanks to his performances in the Under 15 National Championship, in which he scored 15 goals in 17 games, which led to him being promoted to play in the League.
“I think that they paid attention to me to live this beautiful experience with Bayern because of my conditions. I am a powerful forward, with good speed, with a good punch. I am fortunate because not just any player has this experience ”, commented the youthful attacker.
José Daniel arrived at the sugar quarry at the age of 12 after being discovered by talent scouts in the traditional neighborhood of El Guabal, in the capital of Valle del Cauca. From that moment he began a football career that has him close to consolidating in professionalism.
With this initiative, FC Bayern and Volkswagen want to promote young footballers from all over the world, provide a stage for players from structurally weak regions and encourage cultural exchange.
Jörg Wacker, Member of the Management Board and Head of Internationalization and Strategy at FC Bayern München AG, said: “I am delighted to be able to carry out this unique quarry project together with our partner Volkswagen. 15 players from 15 different nations make up an extraordinary world team. Together with the sporting development of the young players, this highlights once again the values of FC Bayern: diversity, tolerance and cohesion ”.
Now José Daniel’s goal is to be able to reach the second camp that will be held directly on German soil. The FC Bayern World Team will conclude with a rally in Munich for all selected talents. There, the young footballers will have the opportunity to get to know FC Bayern better and play a match with the U19 team.
One of his football idols is Arjen Robben, a Dutch footballer who played for 10 seasons with FC Bayern and established himself as a benchmark for fans of the German team. “I really identify with Robben’s game. He is a player who plays with a changed profile, and then makes diagonals to finish off the goal, something I do too ”.
A total of 654 players from 64 countries showcased their skills in more than 1,200 short videos, competing for one of the team’s coveted spots. The only requirement to participate was the year of birth: 2003 or 2004. The selection and decision-making process was led by a team of professional coaches with former Bayern captain and world champion Klaus Augenthaler and Christopher Loch (international coach of the lower ranks of FC Bayern).
Two leagues in the world attract the attention of the Colombian striker. The Bundesliga and the Premier League are the tournaments that steal the footballing breath of José Daniel, although he does not hesitate to lean towards being one day in Teutonic football.
“I would love to be able to play for FC Bayern in Germany, it is a team that has always caught my attention,” he said. Even Mulato recalled the passage through this club of other Colombian footballers who left their mark such as Adolfo Valencia and James Rodríguez.
“Although I have seen little of Adolfo’s time at Bayern, I think he left his mark. The same thing happened with James when he was here, he watched his games and that made me fall in love with the club. Hopefully I will be the next Colombian to be here ”, concluded José Daniel Mulato.
The entire journey of the young players, from training to the selection process and the match against the young talents of FC Bayern, will be shown as a series of exclusive content. The six-part documentary on the FC Bayern World Squad will be available on the FC Bayern YouTube channel from mid-August. There, fans will be able to follow once again how the dream of becoming a professional footballer can come true.
Marco Antonio Garcés
Correspondent Futbolred Cali
On twitter: @marquitosgarces
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