LONDON - The

Iraqi child Zain Ali Salman, nicknamed "Little Messi", drew the attention of a number of English football clubs after showing great talent in matches with players older than him, and these clubs' interest in the young Iraqi player began when he was no more than 4 years old.

Zain celebrated his fifth spring a few days ago, and it arouses more interest from fans and clubs alike, after videos spread to him on social media platforms, most notably Instagram. Within a few days, the number of his followers on the Instagram account reached about 33,000.

Exceptional skills

The child Zain has exceptional skills that made his audience on the communication sites call him "Little Messi", as he is distinguished by his high ability to dribble the ball, preserve it and shoot on goal.

Zain's parents dedicate a great deal of time to follow up on developing his football talent, accompanying him to the qualifying academies of Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Fulham, as well as private training with the coaches.


In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Ali Salman, the child's father, said, "When Zain was born, he was not an ordinary child like the rest of the children. He had physical ability, good health, and was very mobile. At the age of 3, he rode a two-wheeled bicycle without the need for other supporting wheels. , as is the case with the rest of the children. At that time we did not discover his talent, after that he played football and we noticed that he was learning and emerging quickly."

He added, "The story began when we took Zain to the family doctor. We asked the doctor about the reason for his excessive movement and activity. The doctor told us that Zain has good energy and activity that we must invest and pay attention to, and since then we have been keen on developing his skills, whether in football. or other."

He continued, "Zain always tells us that he wants to compete with children who are older than him. He feels his ability to beat his biggest competitor, and we are very happy when he scores a goal. He looks at us to watch our joy, our encouragement for him, and our standing by him."

Milton: Zain has great football skills that exceed those of children his age (Al-Jazeera)

Brandon Melton, Crystal Palace's pre-academic football coach said: "Zain has amazing football skills that are beyond those of kids his age and are difficult to do. in playing football.

Milton added, "I am currently training him on the skill of defense and then I move with him to other roles. I really see him as a great future if he continues at this level, as he deserves to join big clubs in football."

A picture in which Zain appears with his parents and sister Zahraa (Al Jazeera)

football loving family

The child Zain spoke to Al-Jazeera Net, saying, "I love playing football, and my mother and father help me with that. I like to be a famous player. People call me the little Messi, but I will be the big Messi one day."

Zain added, "I hope to visit Iraq and play with Iraqi children there, and when I grow up I want to play for the Iraqi national team and represent my country in world championships."

In addition to Zain, his sister Zahra (8 years old) is also good at playing football and sometimes accompanies him to training.

Zain is training with his sister at home (Al Jazeera)

Zahraa says, "I always like to play football with Zain, although he is 3 years younger than me, but he is very talented and I am proud of him. He became famous before he became big, but he is not interested in this fame, he is only interested in playing football."

She added, "When we are at home, Zain always comes and asks me to play football, and as soon as we finish playing, he comes back after 5 minutes and asks me to play again. He does not feel tired or bored from playing football, he loves this sport."

Zain's mother says that she allows him and his sister to play indoors without restrictions (Al-Jazeera)

Yasmine, the child's mother, says, "I allow Zain and his sister to play inside the rooms of the house, and in every corner of the house, without preventing them or placing restrictions on them. I give them complete freedom to play and express the energy within them until we discover and develop their talents."

She added, "I encourage sons and girls to play football and other sports, and I dedicate a lot of time to take care of my children Zain and Zahraa. I go with them to exercises. We play with each other before the start of the exercise so that they feel that we are with them. Sport is very important for everyone, as it gives them self-confidence and physical and mental health." ".