Football: Scouts check young talent

Peter Hyballa. Photo / Doug Sherring

Yesterday wasn't just the end of the Under-20 World Cup, it was also the culmination of the Football Idol scenario that has played out over the past three weeks.

New Zealand has been the shop window for a huge collection of talented footballers. Players are not only chasing glory for their countries, but they are also playing for their professional futures.

More than 40 scouts and coaches have been in this country, including some from Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Juventus.

"It's a good level and there is a lot to see," said Peter Hyballa, a youth coach and scout from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. "You see a lot of styles, a lot of players. Also you see how players cope with pressure, and with fatigue, especially in the knockout stages."

Hyballa is a career coach. He spent three years coaching Borussia Dortmund under-19 side between 2007-2010, when he helped to develop 2014 World Cup hero Mario Gtze. He's also been a head coach at Austrian club Strum Graz and German second division team Alemannia Aachen, where he faced off against Louis Van Gaal and Bayern Munich in the German Cup. And he is a coaching consultant, working in Africa and Europe through his website peterhyballa.org.

Hyballa has clocked up thousands of kilometres travelling throughout New Zealand and was on the move every day during the group stages.

"Some of the big players you have already seen before, but there are always surprises," he said. "Every small country there are one or two players that it's like, 'oh, who is this?' I've never seen players from Myanmar, or Fiji.

Leverkusen have often punched above their weight in the Bundesliga over the last two decades. They twice finished runners-up in the league during the 2000s and also reached the 2002 Champions League final, losing 2-1 to Real Madrid.

The club, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season, have had two scouts and Hyballa (who is also the under-19 coach) here during the tournament.

"If I see a player that is a good prospect for Leverkusen, then I tell the chief scout," said Hyballa. "They will look at videos, the internet ... then the chief scout talks to the manager. The question would be whether we act now or wait "

Hyballa says scouting is a complex business and you can't be seduced immediately at the sight of talent.

"It's like if you see a woman for the first time. You might fall in love, but then the second, third, fourth time ... no maybe not.

"It's always hard to know - how will a player develop, will he survive in a different country, what is his mentality? But you have to back yourself.

"We are looking for players who can make a difference. Sometimes we will disagree. But you can't be afraid. If you see a player you like you must think, 'OK, this is the one'. You must trust in a player and your own coach. And, anyway, the manager makes the final decision. He does the final scouting."

Hyballa has compiled a dossier of 30 prospects from this tournament, which has been passed on to his club. There will be competition - and the best players will command price tags of 6-10 million - but Leverkusen have a strong history of developing talent.

"A good player from this tournament might get offers from 10 clubs," Hyballa said. "The player will decide where he wants to go. You throw your hat in the ring."