Coach Didi Dramani
The assistant coach at Danish top-flight side, FC Nordsjaelland contends the immediate qualities of talents attract scouts and coaches alike at the expense of long-term characteristics that are vital for the progress of talents.
In a webinar, meant to equip both scouts and coaches with the needed specialization in order to identify and track early growing talents on the continent.
Speaking to YAC Communications on YouTube he said
“because a player is technically good, can take on opponents and dribble past a lot of players and that is what everybody appreciates mostly,"
"Africans are used to this concept for a very long time. In Africa, we’re champions in selecting wrong talents,”
“Talent not necessary as a player but also as a coach. I’m not looking at what the player or coach can do at the moment. The characteristics and mindset of the talent should be the yardstick," he added.
“The talent must believe that everything can be developed. If the talent doesn’t believe everything can be developed then the player will find it difficult to fit into various models,"
Dramani, who had previously worked with Akosombo-based Right to Dream Academy deployed a scenario to buttress his statement by using the issue of financial muscle and two players with different levels of exposure.
He added, players with a limited exposure that are not handled by professionals but competing with ones coached by elite professionals have a brighter future than exposed talents.
“If Maritzburg finds a player in Ghana and Liverpool also come in for that player, does Maritzburg have the financial muscle to compete with Liverpool? I believe you can still find somebody of that same level.
“If you find a talent that has not been exposed as compared to the one everybody is chasing, I will choose the one that is unexposed because he or she has huge potential ahead.”
Coach Dramani believes every talent possesses the inherent potential to improve which is hinged on a mindset ready to advance.
He further urged coaches and scouts to broaden their horizon in order to tap into the pool of talents the continent is blessed with to compete with a financially strong western world in elite competitions.
“We should be quick in identifying potential talents than just talents of today. Everybody has the capability to learn something, the first aspect the person needs to have is passion.
“The fact that the person has the capability to dribble the ball without passion cannot get anywhere.”
Didi Dramani won the Ghana Premier League twice and the MTN FA Cup with Kotoko. He also managed various Women National Teams chalking various degrees of success before being appointed as assistant coach of Nordsjaelland.
