Will not let Ronaldo and Figo distract him

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Will not let Ronaldo and Figo distract him

In august, 16 year old August Frobenius from Norway signed his first professional contract for the Portuguese top club Sporting CP. There is no doubt in his mind that hard work, focus and realistic goals are key to young players who wish to go far.

Many young players probably envision a glamorous life, playing top fixtures at famous stadiums when they think about how life as a professional footballer, while ignoring all the hard work that is required to reach the very top. August Frobenius is just one of many young Norwegians to sign professional contracts at top clubs over the last few years, and despite some challenges, he is happy to be at a club of Sporting CP’s size.

Life as a footballer differs a bit from what you think. In addition to training every day, it can be challenging to come to a new country, with a new language and culture as a Norwegian. However, there are some great players here and I am learning Portuguese. It is not easy, but there is nothing I want more than to be where I am, playing football abroad, where the level is higher and there are more opportunities to develop.

 

READ NIKLAS HAUGLAND’S ARTICLE: The Leeds first team has to be my goal

August Frobenius signed a professional contract with Sporting CP this summer.
August Frobenius signed a professional contract with Sporting CP this summer.
The Sporting Academy is categorized by many as one of the best academies in Europe. Throughout 2019, NF Academy has had 16 Scandinavian players on training sessions at the club.
The Sporting Academy is categorized by many as one of the best academies in Europe. Throughout 2019, NF Academy has had 16 Scandinavian players on training sessions at the club.

 
August is aware of the importance of having something to focus on besides playing football. Before signing for Sporting CP, he enrolled at sports oriented school NTG in Norway, and he will not let school wait until after an eventual career.

Many players in my situation get enrolled at schools here, but I got lucky and will continue to get my schooling from NTG. I stay in contact with the school and do my homework, and only go home only for midterms and such. If I got to choose myself, I don’t think I would drop out anyway at my age. Having the chance to study later is always a positive, and the club is very focused on the players getting their education done while at the academy.

 

Good opponents give good results

The young defender started his career at a young age with Skeid, before joining Stabæk at the age of twelve. Over the years, he also have participated in cups and learned from private academies, such as NF Academy, and had trials with Sporting CP. Despite these all being clubs of a certain size, August thinks he has had a good share of luck on the way too.

There are many good players at my age in Oslo. Some have given up football, but some are still active and can still become very good. We have been lucky to train together and play against each other, which has given me some good experiences to grow on. A good training environment where you play with and against other good players is very benefitial, and I have been lucky to have this all the way. In Portugal, the whole setup is more professional, with more resources for coaches and facilities, which makes for a very good environment to develop in. That said, I am very thankful for everything my former clubs have given me. All those good players have given med the focus and will required to succeed here in Portugal.

 

READ ALSO: We will recruit more players to the European academies

 

Work, work and more work

Despite being at the same academy that has developed the world’s maybe best player, Cristiano Ronaldo, August has his feet on the ground and knows there is still a long way to the first team.

There is no guarantee that you are going to be a top player just because the academy has a good track record, but it’s still a sign that the club and the academy knows their fair share about development. There is no reason to rest on your laurels, because there is still work to do. Now, my goal is to get promoted to the U23 team, before there’s any talk of the first team. The step from U19 to the first team can be much too big to many, so it is important to think of the long term and focus on development.

August thinks that young players who wish to follow in his footsteps should keep their focus and work hard to reach their goals.

Nothing comes for free. You can not expect to get called up to the national team or your trials to be successful every time. It is all about how you respond. It’s important to be patient and long term oriented, because it’s the stayer who will get far in the end. The best player is not necessarily that guy who gets called up every time, because you can only get so far on raw talent. It takes a lot of hard work, too!

 

Play in our international selection teams

During winter time you have the opportunity to play in our tournament teams that participate in elite tournaments in Europe. In the winter holiday in week 8 or 9 you can also join our training camp program in collaboration with Sporting CP.

International Programs
DATE PROGRAM LOCATION
Jan/Feb NF Selection Riga Cup Riga
February NF Elite Training Camp Lisbon
03-10 April NF Elite Selection Ibercup Cascais
05-12 April NF Elite Selection MICFootball Barcelona
09-13 April Future Cup Gothenburg

I want to train with NF Academy

Send us a short request with the player’s background and the type of activities you want to participate in. We follow up with advice on which local and international programs can suit you.


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