Young footballer off to Barcelona
Oliver Thomas is off on a “crazy” adventure to Barcelona. Photo / Chris Marshall
By Chris Marshall
Oliver Thomas’ 2024 Christmas present has really turned into the gift that keeps on giving.
Last year his parents, German Orozco and Melissa Thomas, bought their 9-year-old son a Barcelona football team uniform and entry to the visiting Barca Academy’s soccer camp in Auckland in late January.
Now Oliver has been selected, along with Tūrangi’s Monoa Paki (who attended a similar event in Wellington), among only 20 young players from the two camps held in New Zealand to attend further training in Barcelona, Spain, in late November/early December.
Understandably, the soccer mad Oliver who is juggling a ball at his feet the whole time we talk, is excited, peppering his speech with what may be his favourite adjective: ‘crazy’.
He had already been enjoying success in Taupō AFC age group teams, including being part of a grade 8 team that didn’t lose a game at one tournament, as well as him being the top scorer, and participating in the grade 9 team at last year’s McCartney Invitational Tournament which, finishing seventh out of 12, was the best placed Taupō side.
The camp was an amazing experience for the young players, said Melissa.
“From day one what was drilled into them was what we’re teaching you is not just football skills, we are teaching you a way of being, they base it on their philosophy of HEART which is humility, excellence, ability, resilience and teamwork.
“It’s all about not just having great football skills but having that great personality of working with others.”
Oliver, born in his father’s homeland, seems to have taken this in his stride.
“I learnt that Barcelona has a lot of humour especially the players and the coaches. The teams had little groups, and my group kept on calling me ‘Mexico’ and at the end of it my coach ended calling me ‘Mexico’, because I was born in Mexico. It was crazy.”
German couldn’t resist: “When you go to Barcelona, they will call you ‘Kiwi’.”
Oliver: “They just had this philosophy about me, and it was crazy.”
The family is thrilled that Monoa who played with Oliver in the grade 9 team has also been selected.
“It’s nice, especially for kids that come from the regions to be able to get that opportunity,” Melissa said. “Because it shows that we do have great little footballers.”
Though being chosen has upset Oliver’s original carefully thought-out soccer career pathway.
“It’s crazy how I came from hoping that I would even get into Olé (the Olé Football Academy in Porirua) and now I’m in Barcelona.”
Though if passion equates in some way with Barca Academy’s ‘heart’, then perhaps Oliver’s selection is not so crazy.
His mother admitted he “actually slept in his shirt a good week or so” before she could strip one replica football top off her son to wash it.
And Oliver was keen to recount family lore that his talent was evident in the womb.
“Before I was born, I was kicking my mum. She said he’s going to grow up to be a footballer and here I am.”
He’s not short of entrepreneurial spirit either – only briefly hesitating when presented with the idea that he may have to help his parents pay for the trip.
“Listen, listen. So how am I going to raise money? We are going to find footballers and people who really, really support the football community to give us some money so they can help some of our Kiwi footballers rise up.”
Though he did also have enough heart to accept his father’s and sister Veronica’s suggestions of bake sales and roadside lemonade stalls in Kinloch and Melissa hoping for plenty of help with the dishes.
Crazy.