Growing up in Kennington, Southern London, Jadon Sancho thrived through the young academy of Watford and Manchester City before becoming the regular option at Westfalenstadion.
It was Westfalenstadion, the biggest stadium in Germany, that Jadon Sancho showed up his class and proved that Manchester City – perhaps – was wrong for not extending his contract with the club. Spectators enjoy watching Sancho play his style of soccer and being amazed by it. But people who know Sancho recognized that the kids growing in the streets of Southern London is a pure talent.
“There would always be a bunch of kids following him around, he would go out jogging and they would run after him!” Norman Dawkins, the first one to see Sancho playing on a concrete pitch in South London, said.
via Goal
Growing up on the street of South London, where drugs, crimes, and hookers are way more popular than soccer. The young lad went through every challenges that he got to face in order to touch his hands on the dream of soccer. However, when Sancho thought about his past, he never regretted that he came from “not a nice neighborhood” of London.
“I will never forget where I have come from because I know what it is like growing up in that area … it is not nice. Especially when you have people around you doing bad things,” Sancho said.
via the Guardian
The 20-year-old attacker is now one of the most expensive properties of Borussia Dortmund, and thanks to the stage of Westfalenstadion, the name of Jadon Sancho becomes popular around the world.
But everything started when he was in Watford City. Sancho participated in youth academy of Watford since he was 7 year-old and stayed there until he was 14 years old. Watford gave Sancho a space for his development, and though he received several offers from Chelsea, Arsenal, and Spurs, he stayed with the modest Watford.
Louis Lancaster, former coach of Jadon Sancho at Watford, said that Sancho has similar qualities to Barcelona star’s Lionel Messi and described him as an entertainer.
“Jadon has similar qualities. An entertainer. Exciting. That’s his character off the pitch as well,” he said.
via the Mirror
Sancho was compared to an entertainer, but Michael Zorc – sport director of Dortmund – said that his player is one of the most exciting players in Europe.
After departing Watford, Sancho played at Manchester City in a short spell before moving to Dortmund in 2017. Sancho was only 17 year-old when he decided to move abroad to such a big club like Dortmund.
At that time, he got two option between Dortmund and Monaco, but then the player decided to settle in Germany. Explaining why Sancho moved to Dortmund, Zorc believed that because Dortmund has given Sancho real playing time and an opportunity to develop.
“We saw Jadon Sancho very early in the youth selection teams. At that time there was a lot of interest from Premier League clubs, but also from top clubs from other countries,” Zorc said. “I think he has chosen us because for more than a decade our strategy has been to transfer the best European talents, to trust them, give them a lot of time on the pitch and make them better and better.”
What Sancho has proven at Dortmund in the period of two years was impressive. His transfer fee jumped straight forward from 5 million euros to 100 million euros in just 2 years. At the age of 20, Sancho is the regular choice of Gareth Southgate at England national team and Lucian Farve at Dortmund.
In the game of FIFA 21, Sancho is also one of the highest rated players of Dortmund and has the potential overall of over 90. But when it comes to the physical strength of Sancho in the game, he joked that he “was stronger” than what was rated by the game.
Throughout the year, Sancho has become a favorite players of teenagers around his home town, Kennington. However, in order to achieve such an honor, it was a long path that the youngster has walked through.
Sancho confessed that “it has not been easy.” Honestly, he was so brave and dedicated to make a move from England to Germany where language, culture, and style of soccer would be a barrier for his development. But he was fortunate to have teammates who always kept him on the ground.
Rhian Brewster, his former teammate at England U20 national team, remembered that Sancho usually stood out as a shine figure of England. He explained that he understood what Sancho is capable of and he recognized that his teammate can be successful at the highest level.
“I’ve played with him and I know what he’s capable of, so when I see him scoring goals and playing well, it doesn’t surprise me,” Brewster said.
via Goal
It does not surprise Brewster that Sancho is so successful at this moment, and for his other colleagues, they know for sure that the Englishman will accomplish something special.
In 3 seasons playing for Dortmund, Sancho has displayed a total of 112 matches, scored 38 goals, and assisted 48 times. His peak transfer fee used to be 120 million euro, and it reflects how talented Sancho is.
This wonderkid is still moving forward to the highest point of his soccer career, but instead of being overrated himself, Sancho is being modest and humble.
“I set personal goals. Just little things, little details like working on my left foot, shooting quick, getting in behind the defender earlier, quicker and just popping it off and knowing when to shoot and when to pass. I’ve just got to keep working on that and hopefully it will improve me as a player,” Sancho said.
via Goal
