Leonel angel coira biography

Leonel Angel Coira is a 20-year-old Football player.
Name in home country: Leonel Ángel Coira Date of birth/Age: Mar 29, 2004 (20) Citizenship: Argentina Spain Position: Midfield Current club: Club Deportivo.
Real Madrid of Spain signed 7-year-old soccer player Leonel Angel Coira to a contract after seeing him in tryouts.

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Real Madrid sign seven-year-old Argentine

Real Madrid has signed a seven-year-old football prospect from Argentina, who also happens to go by the name Leo — just like his idol Lionel Messi.

Leonel Angel Coira signed with the Spanish club and will begin training on September 6, Madrid spokesman Juan Tapiador told The Associated Press today.

Last week, Coira told Argentine sports daily Ole that his idol was Messi, the Barcelona forward who is also Argentine and goes by the name Leo. Coira said he prefers "to provide the pass" rather than score.

He already has a Facebook page featuring photos of his visit to Real Madrid.

Madrid reportedly made the push to sign Coira because Spanish league rival Atletico Madrid was also pursuing the youngster.

Barcelona signed Messi from Argentine club Newell's Old Boys as a teenager and he has gone on to win the World Player of the Year award two times and has helped Barcelona win 15 trophies, including three Champions League titles and five Spanish league championships.

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By Shawn Muller-

(CBS) A "child prodigy" is nothing new in the world of sports.

Tiger Woods was groomed to be a professional golfer ever since he was old enough to swing a club. Venus and Serena Williams were going to be the next tennis superstars before they were old enough to date, and Freddy Adu was touted as the savior of American soccer before he had hair in his arm pits.

Everywhere you look, it seems like more and more children are giving up their only shot at being kids, for hopes of stardom on the playing field.

And they are getting younger and younger.

Recently, Real Madrid signed a 7-year-old kid from Argentina named Leonel Angel Coira to enroll in their soccer academy.

Really, Real Madrid?

You signed a 7-year-old kid because you didn't want a rival club to gain the rights to this player—oops, I mean tyke? Come on!

The kid is barely in first grade!

How in the world does anyone know if he will become the next Lionel Messi—the kids favorite player and Argentina-native?

I am sure this little guy has a dream of playing professional soccer,

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(Image credit: YouTube)

Leonel Angel Coira, who goes by the name Leo, is being hailed as the soccer world's newest star player. The Spanish soccer powerhouse Real Madrid recently signed Leo to a one-year renewable contract. Only one small catch: Leo is just 7 years old. Though Leo has the support of his soccer-loving family — his father is a soccer coach, and his older brother plays for the Spanish team Real Valladolid — some question whether there should be a minimum age for junior soccer players. Leo will start training with Real Madrid's youth squad this fall. Is he too young to join a professional sports organization?

Yes. Leo is obviously far too young: "I am shocked that this happened," says Roberto Alvarez-Galloso at Bleacher Report. Though some young children thrive in the high-pressure world of competitive sports, "the majority may suffer burnout on an emotional scale." The overwhelming pressure can cause young athletes to turn to "performance-enhancing drugs, or simply give up on sports. Hopefully this problem can resolve itself for Leo's sake."

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