Explosivity and power

While playing in Lokomotiv Moscow, a teammate mentioned Marcet. It didn’t take Mikhail long to get on the internet and start looking into the academy. Before long, he was on a plane to Barcelona for the Easter Holidays Intensive Course. That first experience proved itself so positive that the Russian striker came back another three times. His objective? “Become a professional player.”

“It was great coming back to Russia after my first campus at Marcet because I started playing better,” recalls Mikhail Shakhkalamov, who was 11 years old at the time. After a few months, he came back to Barcelona and his return to Russia was more triumphant than the last: “I was scoring a lot more with Lokomotiv.”

What were these improvements due to? “There is a big difference between Marcet and the Russian academies. Here the coaches give you more and demand that you give more, it’s very important for them and it’s very positive. At Marcet, there are many different types of training, like beach physical sessions or video analysis, experiences that I’ll never forget because in Russia there’s nothing like it.”

The progress made by Mikhail at Marcet not only allowed him to improve, they also made a club like the Spartak Moscow show interest and eventually sign him. His assertiveness and intensity in 1-on-1 scenarios, his explosiveness and his shot have Mikhail ticking all the boxes on his way to making his dream come true. It’s just a matter of time before we see history repeat itself here at Marcet.