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Fri Feb 20, 2009 7:53 pm EST

No kidding, the next Zidane?

By Martin Rogers

Haven't heard of Madin Mohammed yet? You should have.

He is the player being touted as soccer's next megastar, the new Zinedine Zidane, with a spectacular set of skills seemingly destined to propel him to greatness.

Chelsea and Real Madrid have both got him on their radar and several other big clubs are due to join to race to sign him. But don't expect to see Mohammed gracing an English Premier League or Spanish La Liga stadium just yet.

Because he is six years old.

In the latest example of the extreme lengths to which the worldwide scouting system has developed, the French youngster has been thrust into the spotlight and tipped for success before he has even mastered the alphabet.

The comparisons to Zidane are due to Mohammed's Algerian heritage, having moved to France from the North African country as a 3-year-old. Footage of his precocious talent has appeared on French television, displaying a remarkable array of tricks and flicks.

Take a look for yourself:

Soccer has seen plenty of child prodigies in the past, and most of them have fallen by the wayside. The glare of the spotlight at such a young age is devilishly difficult to cope with and, unless young Madin is well-protected by his family and the French national federation, his chances of even reaching the professional ranks are remote.

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1302 Comments

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  1. eapomasu
    1. Posted by eapomasu Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:50 pm EDT

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    damn no dough this young boi is zidane son amazing skills!!! lol
  2. Giriraj S
    2. Posted by Giriraj S Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:09 pm EDT

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    for a 6-yr old, amazing... the zidane comparisons are obvious w/ his background and skills.. god given talent
  3. BarcelonaLiverpoolfc1810
    3. Posted by BarcelonaLiverpoolfc1810 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:19 pm EDT

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    absolutely amazing skill!
  4. Steve A
    4. Posted by Steve A Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:19 pm EDT

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    Wow, that kid's good!!! hahaha
  5. nateb72
    5. Posted by nateb72 Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:34 pm EDT

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    As soon as he is a nominee for FIFA player of the year, then maybe he can enter the Zidane stratosphere...
  6. Skylar S
    6. Posted by Skylar S Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:34 pm EDT

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    It's amazing to think that he can only get better. he doesn't just have tricks he has training. He has in games skills. He will be a force.
  7. imon
    7. Posted by imon Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:48 pm EDT

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    crazy skills
  8. Celestine O
    8. Posted by Celestine O Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:28 pm EDT

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    This boy is obviously an "American wonder". He needs one of the great clubsides to monitor him. Please we must all ensure this talent does not waste.
    Celestine Okoro.
    Phoenix, AZ
  9. Ed P
    9. Posted by Ed P Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:47 pm EDT

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    Seriously, he's got skills, but the kind of skills that will get your legs obliterated by a hard tackle in 3 years' time. He must have been watching Crybaby Ronaldo or Ronaldinho videos rather than learning the basics. Neither of those guys can win a tackle to save their lives. I hope he does well, but twinkletoes-type moves won't help him much when he gets older, unless he gets signed by a team that has so much depth/talent that defenders can't key on him. Best of luck kid!
  10. Raulito
    10. Posted by Raulito Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:29 pm EDT

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    Son of a....this is incredible! HE already belongs in the 4th division of the England lol.
  11. Junior
    11. Posted by Junior Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:10 pm EDT

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    agreed with 11 kids got talent "for show" i didnt see the kid score one goal in the vid
  12. Alex V
    12. Posted by Alex V Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:28 pm EDT

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    This is nothing new. This video has been floating around on Youtube for about a year now. Plus, whatever happened to that one Man United whiz kid? I agree with Ed P, these skills are nice, but there not enough to win football matches.
  13. footy player
    13. Posted by footy player Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:10 pm EDT

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    are you kidding me, Ed P.??? He has a ridiculous amount of raw and useful talent. you see all of the juggling? that is the most basic form of "touch" in the game. if all kids learned how to juggle and dribble like him then we would have a lot more exciting matches. talent like this is hard to teach, and in fact, it's almost a god given talent. the ability to take one on ones and be creative with "twinkletoe moves" is something that is valued anywhere...
  14. Iron Man
    14. Posted by Iron Man Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:47 pm EDT

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    Well, as the article says, most kids fall out of spotlight due to the pressure. But this kid surely does have skills above his age.
    Problem is, soccer won't always be about tricks; it's also about teammates and handling the ball as though you have glue to your shoes. And the kids he's playing with does not play like the professionals or older competitions: there is so much more grabbing, pushing, shoving, and elbowing than is seen in a game as one gets older. So the time to do these tricks get less and less, and the game becomes more about involving your teammates while doing tricks.
    Overall though, I'll give him def. props for his performance at his age. I know I could only do cross-overs and that was it at that age. haha
  15. crimsonking61
    15. Posted by crimsonking61 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:31 pm EDT

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    As long as he is able to use these skills to make those around him play better, young Master Madin will be the next Zizou. Prodigious talent!!!
  16. alihatefi
    16. Posted by alihatefi Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:50 pm EDT

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    This is really sick, going after a 6 year old and everyone being impressed by him because of a youtube video. Let the kid grow and develop, but just let him be a kid and enjoy his youth. Hopefully his parents won't exploit his talents for quick financial game and have him start going to a football club academy at the proper age.
  17. Raph
    17. Posted by Raph Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:29 pm EDT

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    any word on who he'll play for? Algeria or France?
    ALLEZ LES BLEUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
    ZIZOU=GOAT
  18. alberto
    18. Posted by alberto Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:36 pm EDT

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    Damn
  19. alexandred
    19. Posted by alexandred Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

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    Allez les blues, c'est nous qui auraient due gagner la coupe en 2006,
    ZIZOU c'est toi le meilleur, et d'abord le garçon est Français, tous ces Americains sons complexer,
    ils veulent toujours être autre chose qu'Americains, comme les Mexicains qui ce croivent Espagnole,
    qu'ils aillent vivrent au Mexique,
  20. Willz
    20. Posted by Willz Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    only time will tell if he's gonna be the next zidane. zidane was my favorite player and hopefully someone will come up and take his spot.
  21. labmech
    21. Posted by labmech Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:55 pm EDT

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    How fast will he be able to run in 12 years? And more importantly- - how is his head butt? The next Zizou--give us all a break.
  22. Slodeth
    22. Posted by Slodeth Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:25 pm EDT

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    Can he headbutt like Zidane?
  23. Giovanni L
    23. Posted by Giovanni L Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:34 pm EDT

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    Zidane isnt the master of tricks, hes the master of vision, the smartest futbol player alive, and a genius.
    if i fastforwarded my video, id be the next zidane. This kid might as well be portuguese, all flash no passing.
  24. pondering the inevitabilities
    24. Posted by pondering the inevitabilities Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:43 pm EDT

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    retarded. i have seen many, many great young players become average as they grow older.. this kid could get fat, slow......... worthless... he could get injuries... bottom line, in the professional game, if you don't have the pace, you are nothing. to hype a 6 year old kid up like this is worthless, and really abusive, in some ways.
  25. Peter Z
    25. Posted by Peter Z Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:08 pm EDT

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    Only time will tell........

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