Should Spurs target 19yo future star Giovanni Simeone

A trawl through the Internet while researching Tottenham target, 19-year-old Argentinian Emanuel Mammana, brought me to an article with quotes from him at the South American under-20 Championship.

Should Spurs target 19yo future star Giovanni Simeone


He was there with the Argentinian side together with River Plate striker Giovanni Simeone, son of 106 cap international Diego Simeone, now manager at Atlético Madrid.

"We all thought that he was here just because his name was Simeone. But he winds up being a humble guy and a great teammate. The truth is that he kills himself in practice in order to be a great forward. He has an awesome future."

Now that sound like the way Harry Kane has gone about proving himself at Spurs, train hard, train to improve everyday, it takes a winning mindset to do that, something not all players have. But Simone takes it further and considering the articles I have written on the subject, I found his comments most interesting.

"I would think a lot about how I had missed a goal, and I was thinking about it all the time. It clouded my thinking. Now I know all players can fail —  Messi misses goals. Anyone can miss. I have to thank Augustine a thousand times for this."

Now what is so special about that, well Augustine is the sports psychologist that 19-year-old Simone uses to ensure he has the right mentality. It is something I have said we need at Tottenham for all ages, that we have to become world leaders at developing the mental side of the game, as it will produce better players with the right attitude and mentality.

Now Argentina is a different culture but just reading about how he views football as no different from any child over here but then nightclubs, drinking and smoking get in the way and British players tend not to become the player they could be. I think that is slowly changing but a player like Jack Wilshere should be a far far better player than he is, he has the skill, he doesn't have the right attitude though.

For a footballer paid fantastic sums of money their body should be a temple, it's the tool of their trade. Some like Simone try to maximise what they can achieve, working on mind, body and technique whereas other fall short.

"In my family we talk football 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We watch football, we talk football, we play football — it's all about football. The one that thinks about it the most, and is the most intelligent, winds up being the best. 
"This is nothing [finishing the tournament's top scorer].The future begins now. 
"For a footballer the most important thing is the head. This is what directs the feet. Someone with bad feet but a good brain is better than someone only talented with the feet. It's all about what's up top."

The most telling line of the lot, 'someone with bad feet but a good brain is better than someone only talented with the feet' it's so true.

It amazes me that some fans can't see that, but then as a sportsman I was a winner myself at my level. I played above my level because I had it mentally, the best game I ever played was the one I was most nervous in, if I didn't produce my best against better opponents then we would have been hammered, so as usual I arrived early to train on my own and produced my best ever.

In any sport I can only play to win, I can't play for fun, there's little enjoyment in it and it's why I'm critical of players who don't display the mentality required to be a winner, it's why I advocate the use of a sports psychologist on an individual level. the brain is everything, so train it.

There are plenty of players who could learn a lot from Giovanni Simeone. His dream is to win the UEFA Champions League and that's what he is working towards every day, to do it he has to become the best he can be so a major club will buy him. Perhaps Spurs should snap him up, I've no doubt we are scouting him at River Plate.

You can read the Simeone article here: Giovianni Simeone