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A group of young aspiring South African soccer stars recently attended an international training camp at FC Porto in Portugal.
The trip last month was part of the prize for the Under-16 girls' and Under-13 boys' teams that won the inaugural VW Vaya Cup tournament, formerly known as the Junior Masters.
The two sides were the overall winners of a tournament that involved Volkswagen dealerships, some of whom recruited players from the academies of PSL clubs, including Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United.
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In fact, the boys' and girls' champions were powered by Sundowns.
The girls’ team played as Bidvest McCarthy VW Constantia and were coached by the Sundowns Ladies trio of Andisiwe Mgcoyi, Rhoda Mulaudzi and Andile Dlamini.
The boys’ side represented Lindsay Saker Midrand.
READ: 10 things you may not have known about Andile Dlamini
According to Portuguese footballer Hugo Machado, the South African juniors acquainted themselves well during their tour in Portugal.
Machado, who plays for local side Clube Oriental de Lisboa as an attacking midfielder, said:
Before their arrival in Portugal, the South African teams were assessed through video footage, giving FC Porto coaches insight into areas where the teams and individual players required improvements.
Missing the cobblestone streets and pastel buildings of Portugal ????
— Forwardzone Group (@forwardzone) May 4, 2023
Take a ride with us as we flashback to the VW Vaya Cup Winners tour and relive the magic on this Throwback Thursday ???#ThrowbackThursday #VWVayaCup #Portugal #Memories pic.twitter.com/xK5oE7HViv
The training sessions were then developed based on these assessments in the build-up to the teams’ games at the southern European country.
In addition to the training sessions and games, players also had the chance to watch a live FC Porto match against Santa Clara.
To close off the unique experience, the team visited the FC Porto Museum and had the chance to interact with some of football’s most prestigious trophies, including the Uefa Champions League, Europa Cup and the European Super Cup.
South African legendary striker Benni McCarthy helped Porto's coach José Mourinho to the 2004 Champions League triumph.
During their Portugal tour, the teams played some friendly matches where they lost their opening fixtures, but recorded victories in the second legs.
The games provided the coaches with a further opportunity to assess the teams’ strengths and weaknesses and develop sessions to improve key areas of their game.
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The trip was a culmination of a journey that started at the Wits University Sturrock Park grounds at the Braamfontein campus in Johannesburg in December.
The German car maker hosted 24 teams who competed at the inaugural junior soccer tournament, which provides an opportunity for young players - boys and girls - to showcase their talent in a highly competitive environment.
Said Steffen Knapp, head of the Volkswagen passenger car brand:
“The tournament is a significant milestone in the development of South Africa’s future soccer stars, and the international training camp at FC Porto is another step forward in their careers,” added Knapp.
