‘I never had such demanding training’
{mb_sdlf_jugador_SDLF-jugador_frase-destacada}While participating in Marcet’s Soccer Camp in Lebanon Ibrahim Khalaf secured the prize of coming to train in Barcelona for two weeks.
It was his cousin who told him that Marcet was about to disembark in Lebanon. It was October 2018 and Ibrahim Khalaf was already playing for Al Ahed, the best team in the country. “Through the Juventus Academy Lebanon I found out that Marcet was going to organize a Soccer Camp in my city, and I wanted to try it. I was aware that the level in this academy was higher than what I was used to, but did not think twice”.
Ibrahim is a centre forward and his strength lies in putting pressure on the opposition and scoring goals. He demonstrated this at the Marcet Soccer Camp (MSC) he attended. “At the end of the course they told me I had been the best out of all the participants in my category. The prize was the chance to train in Barcelona for two weeks. I didn’t hesitate to make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity to help develop my footballing career”.
“I didn’t hesitate to make the most of this once in a lifetime opportunity to help develop my career”
Almost a year after MSC, Ibrahim still holds the memory of the experience that opened the Barcelona’s doors for him. “We did so many activities, it was very intense. I had never run so much before”, explains the Lebanese striker, who, since the course, has been trying to apply all he learned during those few weeks. “The analysts told me I had to work on my positioning, to think how should move on the field and which areas to remain in…”.
“At the beginning of the MSC they told us they were going to evaluate us thoroughly and send us the statistics and results of the observations carried out. I still have the evaluation saved on my phone”, mentioned Ibrahim with a smile on his face just before starting a training session at Marcet’s central headquarters.
“What most surprised me in Barcelona were the training sessions held on the beach. It was quite a novelty. I like them a lot because the sand hinders your movement and makes you stronger. In the Talent Cup we are doing a lot of technical, tactical and physical training. It was hard initially because it’s a very intensive course, but by resting well I have been able to get used to the rhythm. Without a doubt it’s going to be a very useful experience. My physical resistance will improve and it will make me a better footballer”.