The dream of any young footballer is to work their way to the paid ranks of the top leagues in the football capital of the world, Europe.And so, part of wetting their appetite for top flight football is taking them to the heart of the game, a proper league match in any of the top five leagues in Europe.For the Talanta Hela U19 team in Spain, this is how their Saturday started, with a trip to the Estad Olimpic Luis Company, the temporary home of FC Barcelona in the Spanish LaLiga.Despite a rigorous five days of training and matches, the boys and girls could finally wear bright smiles that masked the exhaustion that had begun to take a toll on them.The team watched the La Liga match pitting Barcelona and Las Palmas. The same night, seasons in Europe shifted from winter to spring. The transition brought a significant change in time, and an hour slipped away unnoticed.That saw the team sleep one hour less, a consequence of the elusive hour stolen by the shifting of the seasons.Despite that, they could not contain their joy after watching some of their adored football stars like Lewandowski and Raphinha live in action.Raphinha’s fifth LaLiga goal of the season proved enough to guide Barcelona to a narrow 1-0 win over Las Palmas.Speaking to Mozzart Sport during breakfast, the excited youngsters noted that watching the match live was a dream come true. Harambee Stars defender Joseph Okumu opens goal account in French League 1″I felt nice watching the match yesterday. I learnt a lot of things like passing and possession. I have never imagined watching such a big match at my young age. It is God’s plan, and I am so grateful,” Derrick Oketch said.”I really enjoyed watching that game. It was my first time in such a big stadium and I am so happy. It was a great experience,” Nicholas Odhiambo offered.##NAJAVA_MECA_7992414##For 15-year-old striker Quinter Adhiambo, the lessons learnt from the match would be crucial during her training sessions even in school.”It was a great experience. I loved how international players were pressing and opening up the game. I learnt a lot of things, and I will incorporate them into my training sessions,” striker Quinter Adhiambo averred.”It was a real adventure. I am in awe of how the players were communicating within themselves. I enjoyed watching that,” 17-year-old Ruth Akinyi backed her.The team which did a recovery training session on Saturday morning is sharpening their claws ahead of their friendly match against Eldense slated for Monday 1 April.
