Malta Under-17 winger Myles Beerman speaks to Kevin Azzopardi about his positive experience since joining the academy of English Premier League club Manchester City and his aspirations for the UEFA U-17 Championship
Europe’s future stars will be parading their talent at the UEFA U-17 Championship, kicking off this Friday.
Scores of foreign scouts are expected to descend on Malta in the hope of unearthing the next Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas or Toni Kroos, all past winners of the Golden Player Award.
Minnows Malta certainly don’t have the same depth of emerging talent as Europe’s footballing juggernauts, the likes of Germany, Netherlands and England, but in Myles Beerman, the hosts definitely possess a promising youngster who has the potential to become a top player.
Having just turned 15, Beerman will be among the youngest players in the UEFA U-17 Championship but he’s unlikely to be fazed by the challenge, given that the gifted winger has been training and playing for the U-15 team of the Manchester City Academy for the past two years.
“The experience with Manchester City has been out of this world so far,” Beerman told Times of Malta.
“Everything is so different to what I was used to in Malta. The emphasis is on football... we spend two-and-a-half hours at school and train for the rest of the day.
“Weekends are dedicated to football. The club cater for all our needs. They pick us up from school and make sure that everything is in place before training, preparing the towels, kits etc.
“Everything is so professional. It’s a different world... they prepare us for the future.”
Like Conor Borg, currently playing for Italian club Chievo, Beerman was part of the Floriana nursery. He was only 12 when an Everton scout invited him for a trial with the academy of the Premier League club.
“I was playing for Floriana in a tournament in Wales,” Beerman said.
“There was a scout from Everton and he invited me to go for a trial. I was 12 at the time. I went to England and stayed there for three months.
“It was my wish to play in England because football is tough and the level is very high.
“After three months with Everton, I was approached by Manchester United and Manchester City. I toured the facilities at United but it was City who made feel most welcome.
“They gave me a club shirt with my name on the back. I was really impressed with the treatment I received from City and this is why I chose to join them.”
His stint in England has helped to toughen him up physically despite his tender age.
“It’s helping me a lot,” Beerman said.
“The training at City is high on intensity. I’m still young but I have already developed a lot physically since moving to England.
“I hope to continue on this path.”
Born on March 3, 1999, Beerman is eligible to represent Malta at U-16 and U-17 level.
Although he doesn’t train regularly with his Malta team-mates, he has no problems adapting. “I know all the players from school and football,” Beerman said.
“We are like a family.”
Malta will be pitting their wits against some of the best European nations at the UEFA U-17 tournament.
Sergio Soldano’s team have been drawn in Group A along with England, the Netherlands and Turkey. The hosts face England in the opening match on Friday, the Netherlands today week and conclude their group commitments against Turkey on May 15.
No-one is under any illusion as to the magnitude of the task awaiting Soldano’s boys whose main objective is to compete with dignity.
“We have to be realistic,” Beerman said.
“We will be competing against top teams, the likes of Germany and England. The level will be very high but for us, the most important thing is to keep working hard and try our best.
“Then we will see what happens but for sure, we will be doing our utmost.”
Although Beerman is turning out for Malta at youth level, he also qualifies to play for England as his grandfather is English.
Naturally, Beerman would find it difficult to turn down the chance to represent England but for the time being, he is proud and happy to wear the Malta shirt.
“If one day I’m selected to play for England, I would be honoured,” he said. “It would be a great opportunity to develop further in my career but I’m Maltese.
“At my age, I’m happy to play for Malta because Malta is my home and that’s where my heart lies.
“We will see what happens in the future... I don’t want to think about that.”
Beerman is indebted to his family for their unstinting support.
“I want to thank my family because they’re helping me a lot,” Beerman said.
“My father has been the main influence in my career so far. Without his support, I don’t think I would have come this far.
“I did a lot of individual training with him. My father even had to put up with criticism that he was pushing me too hard but I’m glad that I’m repaying his efforts.”
UEFA U-17 Championship schedule
| Group A | |||
| May 9 | 11.00 | Netherlands vs Turkey | National Stadium |
| May 9 | 18.00 | Malta vs England | National Stadium |
| May 12 | 11.15 | England vs Turkey | Gozo Stadium |
| May 12 | 15.15 | Malta vs Netherlands | Gozo Stadium |
| May 15 | 11.00 | Turkey vs Malta | National Stadium |
| May 15 | 11.00 | England vs Netherlands | Hibernians Stadium |
| Group B | |||
| May 9 | 11.15 | Germany vs Switzerland | Gozo Stadium |
| May 9 | 15.15 | Scotland vs Portugal | Gozo Stadium |
| May 12 | 11.00 | Switzerland vs Portugal | Hibernians Stadium |
| May 12 | 18.00 | Germany vs Scotland | Hibernians Stadium |
| May 15 | 18.00 | Portugal vs Germany | National Stadium |
| May 15 | 18.00 | Switzerland vs Scotland | Hibernians Stadium |
| Semi-finals | |||
| May 18 | 17.45 | Winner A vs Runner-up B | National Stadium |
| May 18 | 20.45 | Winner B vs Runner-up A | National Stadium |
| Final | |||
| May 21 | 19.00 | Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 | National Stadium |