TEENAGE KICKS
Meet Ibrahim Rabbaj, 15-year-old English Chelsea wonderkid compared to Messi with 52 goals and 60 assists in 40 games
He was previously on the books of two other London clubs
CHELSEA have splashed the cash on wonderkids over the last few transfer windows - but their biggest star could already be at the club.
Meet 15-year-old Ibrahim Rabbaj, whose diminutive dribbles and wand of a left foot have him compared to Lionel Messi.
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The youngster has scored a sensational 52 goals in 40 games.
Add a whopping 60 assists to those stats and it is clear to see why he has been called up to the England Under-16s squad, with him also eligible for Morroco.
PLAYING STYLE
Already there have been numerous comparisons to Messi. Not just the hair either which is cut into that distinctive bob-style like Leo.
Being mentioned in the same breath as arguably the greatest player of all time piles on the pressure of expectation and prompts opponents to kick lumps out of you.
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He is diminutive and operates in the middle or outside on the right.
Rabbaj loves creating, passing, making things happen and scoring.
He is excellent at one on ones and his preferred job is to cut in from the right side, onto his left foot and find the opposite bottom corner of the net.
Dare we say it, but a bit like Cole Palmer and former Chelsea great Arjen Robben.
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Despite being on the small side, Ibrahim uses his body strength well playing for Chelsea and England Under-16s. He has been in every international camp for the past year.
RISE TO THE TOP
One of six kids in his family and raised in Ashford, Kent, he was picked up by Charlton aged seven and went to pre-academy.
Their South London neighbours, Crystal Palace then swooped for him and he was there until aged around 12.
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He came to the attention of Chelsea during Covid but was still signed by The Blues because they felt a duty to give the young lad a sense of belonging, even though with the pandemic in full swing, there was not even any training to be done.
His dad is Moroccan and he could play for them but so far has represented England. Ironically, even scoring one of his best goals to date against his ancestral homeland.
Rabbaj is at Chelsea full-time now, including for his schooling and lives with eight other boys with a host family. GCSEs beckon next summer.
EXPERTS' VIEW
He has played for Chelsea U17s in pre-season during mixed age group games. A ‘classic no.10’, it will be interesting to see as he gets older how he handles the age gap.
Those closest to the player want to see him let loose through the middle of the pitch in order to drive at opponents and recreate the days of old when players of smaller stature could use their mobility and technical ability to great advantage against bigger opponents.
The people around Ibrahim want to see him operate like Romania legend Gheorghe Hagi, or Yossi Benayoun, who may be more familiar to Premier League fans.
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WHAT'S NEXT?
Crunch time approaches when he should be offered at least a scholarship by Chelsea but in football who knows?
The club lost winger Rio Ngumoha to Liverpool recently, who slipped through the net, so Chelsea’s youth coaches need to stay on their toes.
Retained youth players get two years with a scholarship. The best are offered a year ‘pro’ on top of that. Which would mean Rabbaj would effectively become a professional footballer at 17.
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Sometimes clubs even offer just one year scholarship and two years of a pro contract.
Rabbaj is exciting to watch and considered by those who watch him regularly as a hugely exciting talent.
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