8-y-o footballer dreams of playing in the World Cup

Eight-year-old Cameron McDonald wanted to watch every minute of Spain’s World Cup semi-final against France, but he soon had a choice to make.

“We had to leave at halftime, and I said to him, ‘Do you want to watch the game, or do you want to win the game (the World Cup) one day?’” his mother, Lauren McDonald, recalled. “He said, ‘Okay, quickly! I’m going to get my shirt.’”

Wearing his No. 19 Spain jersey, the young Ballaz Football Academy Under-9 player headed to training while his favourite team continued its march towards the FIFA World Cup final. Spain defeated France 2-0 in Tuesday’s semi-final. Although he was unable to watch the second half, his excitement was unmistakable when he learnt that Spain had won.

“He heard that his team won and he was puffing up his chest with his jersey on,” McDonald told THE STAR. Cameron said he expected Spain to defeat France, pointing to the team’s style of play and the quality of its players.

“Spain is my favourite team because I think they pass around the ball well. They have good players that I like a lot, and I just think they are good,” he said. “They won the semi-final today, and I feel really good. I expected my team to win, and Spain is going to win the World Cup.”

At the centre of Cameron’s admiration for Spain is teenage winger Lamine Yamal, whose performances have made him one of the most recognisable young players in the tournament. McDonald believes Yamal’s youth and confidence have made him particularly appealing to children who are beginning to imagine their own football futures.

“Lamine is every young child’s favourite player,” she said.

For Cameron, who was born in 2017, this is his first experience of following a World Cup closely. His connection to the sport, however, began long before the tournament.

“From birth, he was kicking the ball,” McDonald said. “I have videos of him kicking the ball inside my house and breaking things, and it grew from there.” She said Cameron inherited his love of the game from his father, Damien McDonald, who played football for several years and was once invited to train with the Jamaican national football setup.

“My dad used to play football and train with Jamaica, so I like football because of him,” said Cameron.

Having spent most of his young life with a ball at his feet, Cameron joked that he has been playing football for “about seven years”. He now plays on both wings and in central midfield for Ballaz, but prefers operating on the right side, just like Yamal does frequently for Spain. Away from organised training, Cameron also studies the game.

“I watch a lot of YouTube Shorts about football. All the videos are really good,” he said.

Although Yamal has replaced Kylian Mbappé as his favourite player, Cameron still celebrates goals by folding his arms across his chest in the style associated with the French captain.

“Mbappé used to be my favourite. I don’t know why I switched,” he said.

His interest in professional football, however, is matched by a willingness to put in the work himself. Cameron said his training schedule can be demanding, but he understands that improvement requires discipline and consistency.

“It is important to remain consistent so that I can become better,” he said. His dedication was also demonstrated recently when his mother took him and a friend to watch Paris Saint-Germain face Arsenal in the Champions League final.

“I went to football training that day too,” he said. While Cameron dreams of eventually playing professionally, his mom said she and his father are careful not to place too much pressure on him.

“I think at his age it is important to make them fall in love with the game,” she said. “Even though the fundamentals and development are important as the backbone, if they don’t love it, it is not going to happen.”

McDonald acknowledged that only a small percentage of young footballers eventually become professionals. For that reason, she wants Cameron to continue enjoying the sport while developing the discipline needed to improve.

“That is his dream, but for now, having fun and working hard are the most important things to me and his dad.”

McDonald admitted that before her son became deeply involved in the sport, she rarely followed matches or football leagues.

“I fell in love with football because of my son. Now I’m obsessed,” she said. “My son just made me become a football fan when the World Cup started.” She selected Argentina as her team for the tournament, but said she is still learning about international and club football through Cameron.