Inspired by the “Phenomenon” and advised by Flo, he is flying to the “Saints”

However, the Belgian striker did not have the impact expected at “Stamford Bridge”, scoring five goals in a season where he stopped due to injuries. Already the team led by Thomas Tuchel is 10 points away from Manchester City, but has played one more game. “Big Rom” is still the best striker of the club this season, but the Blues own another striker who has scored as much as Lukaku in the Premier League. Instead of shining on the Stamford Bridge, he is standing out on the South Coast (Southampton).

Thus begins a long BBC article, dedicated to Armando Broja. A product of the famous academy of “Bluve”, Armando Broja is enjoying the moment borrowed in Southampton. The 20-year-old has scored five goals in 18 appearances, the youngest player to reach that figure in the current Premier League season. Crazy about football, since he was a child, watching the clips of the Brazilian legend, Ronaldo “Phenomenon”, Broja is living his dream on the big stage, after appearing as one of the outstanding talents of the season.

Born in Slough to Albanian parents, football has been a part of Broja’s life for a long time. He played regularly with cousins, mom and aunt in the park when he was little. While he was part of the youth teams of professional clubs, his father took him to additional training sessions, one by one, after finishing work. Broja since he was a child (at the age of six) had ambitions to play with the best.

“I went to Reading for a test,” Broja would say in a 2019 interview. “It went well there and I liked it, but at the time I was looking for a bigger club.”

After spending a brief stint at Fulham’s academy, he was spotted by a Tottenham scout while playing in a tournament with his local team, the Burnham Juniors.

“He (the scout) actually came to see another player on my team, but I was named the tournament player and he took me in his place, so I went to Tottenham and signed for this team,” he explains. Broja.

But the Albanian boy’s wish was different: as a big Chelsea fan, he would do everything he could to stand out, whenever the two London clubs played with each other.

“We often faced Chelsea and I liked them as a player. “Then I joined their academy,” Broja said.

Inspired by Ronaldo, assisted by Flo

Like most young players, Broja is inspired by a number of players he has seen growing up. One of his earliest memories at Chelsea was watching Didier Drogbana score, while his father showed him videos of Brazilian legend Ronaldo “The Phenomenon”.

“He was just an incredible player. I have seen many of his clips. He was strong, fast with both feet, he had everything. This is who I aspire to be. “

Broja joined Chelsea in 2009 and spent the next 11 years climbing the ladder at the club.

After scoring 18 goals in 30 appearances with the youth team in the 2019-2020 season, he was offered his first professional contract in February 2020. On March 8, he made his debut with the first team at the age of 18, under the direction of Frank Lampard, being activated in the last four minutes in the 4-0 victory against Everton.

Like many before him, Broja was subsequently sent on to gain more experience at Vitesse on loan for a season, with former Chelsea striker Tore Andre Flo appointed as his mentor during the overseas experience. England. The two talked regularly while Broja was in the Netherlands. Flo advised after each match.

The move proved successful, as he scored 11 goals in 34 appearances, making him one of the best teenagers in Europe’s major leagues.

Broja has spent his entire life in England, but with his parents and most of his family from Albania, he chose to represent his country of origin. His decision may have been influenced by the fact that there was no interest from England at the youth level, so in May 2019 he was called up to the Albanian U-19 team.

Broja scored his debut in the 3-1 victory against Kosovo in a friendly (scored the third goal). A month later, he became part of the U-21, again leaving an immediate impression with a double in his debut in the 2-1 victory over Wales, after entering as a substitute in the first half.

Broja’s international progress was both impressive and rapid. He now counts 10 top-level matches and has scored three goals during World Cup qualifiers, including goals in 1-0 victories against two-time World Cup finalists, Hungary.

On the flight to “Saints”

After enjoying a full season in an elite championship (Vitesse), Broja was ready for more. Unlikely to find space in Chelsea’s first team, he took the opportunity to join Southampton on loan to win more minutes at the Premier League level. Given Ralph Hasenhuttl’s willingness to give young people a chance, this move proved successful. Broja, along with the other young Livramento, but shine in the “Saints”.

After a slow start, Broja exploded under the orders of Hasenhuttle and now counts 10 goals in 25 appearances for the English club and the Albanian National Team. His form at one stage prompted some Chelsea fans to call for him to return from loan to challenge Lukaku and Timo Werner for the starting line-up in attack.

He also impressed against Manchester City on Saturday, showing his skills in the final, but who unfortunately was in an offside position. Southampton want to buy Broja’s card, but such a move, at least in the short term, would make the lifelong Chelsea fan not pursue his dream of excelling at Stamford Bridge. The coming days can be very important for the new career of Armando Broja./SuperSport/

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