By: Yi Qi

Ten-year-old Sydney girl, Michaela Togias is going to Manchester United in January next year after grabbing the attention of English Premier League scouts.

Manchester United and Manchester City scouts watched her working hard and playing at the Global Football Network showcase in Sydney in April and saw her talent plus skill. The competition is where across two days of training, players aged 10 to 19 came together to put their skills on display in the hopes of being offered a sporting scholarship.

“There were 60 girls at the showcase and I was a little nervous because I was the youngest and smallest there but I just gave it my all and had fun,” Michaela said. She wasn’t scared to compete and eared herself a spot with Manchester United and Manchester City.

She explained after she had finished that she thanked her parents and all the people that helped her get to where she was. Scouts from both teams were impressed both by her skill and her talent. She smiled big after the scouts asked her if they could talk to her mom about giving her a spot on the team.

Her sprinting coach said that Michaela should have a good future in sports, especially football (soccer in the US) with 2 leagues including the MLS and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

She will be in The UK playing soccer in a few weeks. “To think that in a few months’ time I’ll be playing in the UK is like a dream come true,” Michaela said. “I hope to one day make my country proud, just like Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter. I have great coaches who push me to play at my best, I train hard every day and put my all into every training session and game.”

Michaela Togias shows that no matter how small old or young you are you can always try to achieve your goals. And that goes to show Michaela Togias’s great passion for soccer.