To Barcelona and back

Six children had a blast when they went on an all-expenses-paid trip to Barcelona Football Club in Spain.

The youngsters had won the opportunity in a competition hosted by Nestlé Milo, which then held a ceremony in Bryanston upon their return.

Jaden Naidoo, Ryan Palmer, Buhle Ntlanti, Katlego Peete, Kagiso Moremedi and Mosana Oratile joined children from Malaysia, Philipines, Jamaica, Chile and Colombia for training sessions at Barça Academy and experienced first-hand the global stage of soccer.

They visited the Mini Estadi and Camp Nou, the home stadium of FC Barcelona where legends such as Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqúe and Luis Suárez display their soccer expertise.

Cindy Palmer said it was the first time her 12-year-old son Ryan had been on a plane. He had expressed his excitement that he couldn’t believe it was real. He got to train at FC Barcelona and had a lot of fun.

Logical Mpande said his daughter Buhle, who was the only girl to go, enjoyed visiting the camp and commented many times on the beauty of Barcelona.

“I could not believe the amount of stamina the children had especially because they were training twice a day,” Mpande said.

Adedoja Ekeruche, business executive officer of dairy for Nestlé in South Africa, said, “Participating in sports and team activities is a great way for young people to learn the values of discipline, dedication, confidence and teamwork. The FC Barcelona coaches also taught the little champions life skills through sport, [which] they can now teach their peers back home in South Africa.”

Also read: It’s all non-stop soccer action at Discovery Soccer Park Wanderers https://sandtonchronicle.staging.lnn.caxton.cloud/213376/spring-soccer-success/