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Between Messi and Haji: The story of Anas Sally who was called up to the Romanian national team at the age of 15
He received lessons from Messi in La Masia, and now Giorga Haji himself is educating him in the group he founded.
Anas Sally has already become the youngest scorer in the history of the Romanian league, but his summons to the national team stems from a desire to prevent him from representing Canada or Turkey.
Will the spotlight hurt him?
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Rape Sally
Michael Yochin
Tuesday, 09 November 2021, 16:00
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Summary: Germany - Romania 1: 2 (Sports 1)
A few years ago a Canadian boy named Anas Sally lived in his home in Toronto, made sure to eagerly follow his great idol Leo Messi, and watched with his father countless times on Giorga Haji's performance tapes in Romanian uniform, especially alongside Ilya Domitrescu at their 1994 World Cup in the United States. .
And since then, he has managed to do quite a bit on the way to fulfilling all his dreams.
Sally has been training with Messi, and has received private lessons and practical advice from him.
Now, Haji is his coach and mentor, he hugged him after becoming the youngest conqueror ever in the Romanian league, and on Thursday he is even expected to wear the Romanian national team yellow shirt himself, on his way to becoming one of the youngest international players ever.
Only 15 years old, born in February 2006 - and he seems to be living in a real legend.
More on Walla!
A 15-year-old player has been called up to the Romanian national team, a surprise in the Argentina squad as well
To the full article
Messi and Iniesta advised him
The special plot began in 2015, when Barcelona scouts discovered Sally juggling the Woodbridge Strikers children’s team. They tested a number of Canadian talents, selected three that showed the best ability, and invited them to host tests in La Masia. The boy impressed with dizzying speed, dizzying dribbling while running and watching a game - and the people of the Catalan academy promised to incorporate him immediately. As part of his training, the enthusiastic Canadian met Messi, Neymar and Andres Iniesta, and received special training from them. "They told me to trust myself and dare more," Sally later recalled. These were days of great hope.
In fact, those were the years.
Barcelona believed they could officially sign him, but FIFA's restrictions on the transfer of minors did not allow it. As early as 2014, Barça were punished for transferring players under the age of 18, and have since been very careful about the matter. " , But it did not happen.
"They told us to wait longer and longer, until we realized it was just not going to happen, and we needed to change direction," Father Angie said. "And that direction brought him home, literally.
Brought the family back to Romania
Angie Sally grew up in Constanza, the port city on the Black Sea coast, most famous as the homeland of the greatest Romanian players of all time. He remembers well how he went with his grandfather to see the young Haji make his first steps in football in the local team uniform, and the enthusiasm around him knew no bounds. Since then, Haji has been his great idol, and consequently also of the entire Sally family. This love was well preserved even when Angie moved to Canada after marrying a girl who had long since settled across the ocean - even though she, too, was originally from Constance.
Life in Toronto was much safer, and he did not intend to return to Romania, even if he regularly followed Haji's actions even after his retirement.
The glorious academy called Vitorol founded by the genius playmaker has provided the country with many talents, and quickly became a very significant force in the first division as well, including winning the championship in 2017.
Haji - the owner and coach at the same time - is solely responsible for the successful project.
"I knew a lot about him, but I did not imagine we could be a part of him," Angie testified, but a childhood friend advised him to turn away.
Videos of a rapist impressed the genius, the invitation was sent, and the family was required to make a fateful decision.
At the end of the consultation, it was decided to put everything aside and focus on advancing the child's career, and that Constanza is the right place to do so.
His glorious academy is reaping the rewards.
Georg Haji (Photo: GettyImages, Dima Korotayev)
Signed the goal of the season?
At the age of 12, the boy who grew up in a house full of Haji posters, met Haji himself. "God paved the way for us to Georgia," Angie claims - and this connection has proven itself beyond expectations. Already at the age of 14 Sally was occasionally tried in the training of the first staff, where she would frustrate his adult colleagues when he passed them without much effort. This summer, following a merger between Vitorol and Farrol Constanza, a few months after his 15th birthday, he has already been added to it regularly and is included in Farrol's list submitted to the association. In doing so, he was one of the youngest ever in the senior Romanian league, but there were in history younger than him. None of them scored at his age, however - and Sally did it in September. And how else did he do!
His performance against Klincani may still receive the beautiful goal award of the entire season.
The boy got the ball in his half of the field, made fun of four opposing players, and bounced gently over the negligent goalkeeper and did not expect it.
Immediately afterwards, Sally jumped into the arms of Haji, with whom he has developed a particularly close relationship in recent months.
"He gives me strength, and I feel like a lion by his side," enthused the midfielder, who plays in a position very similar to Haji's.
Why not play with Alfonso Davis?
His inclusion in Parol has been gradual so far, with eight appearances as a replacement. Except for the spectacular goal, he did not make any special headlines - but then suddenly last week included national team coach Mirel Radoi on the squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Iceland and Liechtenstein. It was like thunder on a clear day, and attention around the world was turned to the Romanian sensation. "A rapist is a rare talent. Since Giorga Haji there has not been a boy in Romania with such high potential," said Nicolae Dicca, the assistant national coach. "It's not too early to call him, because he's better than me at this point. I came to the team at 18, and Vance is not yet 16," Haji himself said.
Is the summons really due to Sally's suitability for the team?
The truth is probably much more cynical - the association is just interested in blocking him from the other options.
Father Angie has already noted when the boy was called up to the Under-17 team: "Our priority is to Romania, but we should not close the other doors."
The Canadian option might have been relevant, easy and material considering the fact that it is hosting the 2026 World Cup in conjunction with the United States and Mexico, and is currently building a vibrant multinational team with a superstar in the form of Alfonso Davis.
Turkey may well be on the agenda too - the Sally family does not have Turkish citizenship, but their ethnicity will make it easy to get it if they wish.
Who really will be his father's heir?
Yannis Haji (Photo: GettyImages, Martin Rose)
Will compete with Haji's son
Recently, there has been strong criticism against the association for not trying to recruit Salzburg striker Karim Adami, whose mother is Romania - and he now stars in the German uniform. Of course, the chances of convincing him were slim in the first place, but the lack of effort caused the association's president Rezban Burliano to sweat, just before the election campaign in which he would run for office again. In addition, there is some frustration in Romania that rising tennis star Emma Redcano, a native of Canada and the daughter of a Romanian father, represents Britain in particular. Promising tennis player Bianca Andreisco, who was born in Canada to immigrants from Romania, also represents Canada.
Using Sally it is possible, then, to "revenge" some of the Canadians, and Borriano gave an explicit instruction to do so, even if the coaching staff claims otherwise. "You will see what a wonderful player he will develop in two or three years' time," the president declared, without taking into account the fact that the early summons could undermine normal development.
Now the boy should try to keep his feet on the ground, which is not a trivial matter given the circumstances.
He is in the spotlight, and is likely to be included in the team's upcoming games - otherwise there would have been no point in his time.
The hustle and bustle around him may be too great, and mental resilience will be required to survive it and continue on the matriculation path measured in a parole uniform.
Will he succeed?
And does he really have a bright future ahead of him, as the professionals at La Masia believed and as Haji predicts?
No one knows this answer, but in Romania it is hoped that they have located the next big star.
He's not the genius' heir - this role is reserved for descendant Yannis Haji who makes a crazy life in Rangers with Steven Gerrard, but his story is even more spicy at this point.
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