From the road to the elite: the hidden talent that the UD Las Palmas discovers in the parks | Palmas

In football, not all talents emerge in the structured academies or in the perfectly attentive grass fields. Sometimes, tomorrow’s stars arise in squares, parks and neighborhood fields where the game is pure, spontaneous and without external pressures. The UD Las Palmas managed to detect this reality and transformed direct observation into a key pillar of its talent collection strategy. The history of the club’s quarry is full of players who have been discovered in informal environments, where street football remains a natural school of creativity, technique and intuition.

The collection in unconventional environments is part of the club’s DNA. For Roberto ArochaCoordinator of the capture and players in the Las Palmas, street football is a unique learning space: “On the street, children play without pressure, without fear of making mistakes. They develop the creativity and decision -making process that are difficult to hardly find themselves in a more structured environment.”

Unlike traditional training, in which the exercises are planned and each action has a default response, players are forced to improvise constantly on the street. This allows them to develop advanced technical skills, quick reflections and a vision of the game that, on many occasions, distinguishes them when they reach a professional club.

The eye of the caveness: see beyond the technique

Discovering talents in a park or in a street field is not just a matter of seeing a child to make spectacular drums or scoring impressive goals. For the kidnappers of the Las Palmas, observation focuses on other fundamental aspects: tactical intelligence, personality in the game and ability to adapt to different situations.

“We don’t only look at the child who makes more goals, but to the one who plays well, to whom he has a vision of the game, who knows when to pass or when to face”, Explain Tasio Gil, Attached to the coordination of the collection and players. “Many times, the best player is not the one that highlights the most, but the one with that something special you see only when you observe it in its natural environment.”

Over the years, the UD Las Palmas has given opportunities to young people who have started playing on the street and who, thanks to their talent and vision of the club kidnappers, ended up in the quarry. Although each story is unique, the common denominator is perseverance and commitment to football.

One of the most important aspects of the collection process in informal environments is patience. “You can’t decide if a player is suitable for the quarry by seeing him a single day in a park”, comments Jesús Hernándezattached to the management of the training and collection department. “You have to see it several times, in different situations, against different rivals. It is a process of monitoring and analysis that can last months.”

Not only to train great players, but also fantastic people

One of the great challenges for these young people is adapting to a more structured environment. Leaving road kick, where there are no rigorous rules or coaches that correct every movement, to a professional team in which the discipline is the key, can be a difficult process.

Therefore, in the Las Palmas, the transition is carried out with care. “It is not a question of changing essence, but of improving their qualities without removing the creativity that makes them special”, Explain Roberto Arocha. The goal is that these players maintain their football identity, but also learn the tactical and physical principles necessary for professional football.

The collection of talents in informal environments is not a new method, but in the UD Las Palmas it was the key in identifying players with great potential. The club’s philosophy remains firm: the talent is on the street, in every corner of the Canary Islands, and you just have to see it.

TO Miguel Ángel Ramírez, President of UD Las Palmas, “The work of the training and collection department is essential for the present and the future of the Audo Las Palmas. His dedication to the search for talents in any corner of the Canary Islands allows us not only to train great players, but also fantastic people.”

With this bet, the UD Las Palmas continues to demonstrate that its commitment to the basis of football goes beyond traditional methods, ensuring that no talent should be unnoticed, regardless of where he started in football.