Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues

At 𝟏𝟔 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝, Gabriel Sloane-Rorigues became the youngest player in @WgtnPhoenixFC history last night 🤯

It wasn’t the desired result, but what a special moment for the 2007-born youngster 💛 pic.twitter.com/q39vkAzLBQ

— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) March 10, 2024

First player younger than the club to play for us (credit: @mrsmiis for the stat). He was a couple months old when the Nix/Victory game happened.

RR

At 𝟏𝟔 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝, Gabriel Sloane-Rorigues became the youngest player in @WgtnPhoenixFC history last night 🤯

It wasn’t the desired result, but what a special moment for the 2007-born youngster 💛 pic.twitter.com/q39vkAzLBQ

— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) March 10, 2024

First player younger than the club to play for us (credit: @mrsmiis for the stat). He was a couple months old when the Nix/Victory game happened.

It's great that he's got his A-League debut so early on in his career. Obviously a very bright outlook, and he's not even 17 yet!

Hoping to see a lot more of this kid in the Central and National Leagues when our own domestic season kicks off in a few weeks. That's where he's really going to cut his teeth - Week in, week out, where the likes of Hughes, Old, Sutton etc have racked up 30/40/50 appearances before really making their way into the first team set up.

It's interesting he hasn't got a scholarship deal as yet (I'm sure one will be in the pipeline) but he couldn't really ask for too much more at this point in his career could he?

Rumoured in another thread to be looking to go overseas. So perhaps he was offered a scholarship deal and turned it down?? 

Chiefy/the Club trying to get him to sign on, with the lure of potential first team football mins at a very young age?? 

coochiee

Rumoured in another thread to be looking to go overseas. So perhaps he was offered a scholarship deal and turned it down?? 

Chiefy/the Club trying to get him to sign on, with the lure of potential first team football mins at a very young age?? 

I saw a bit of that chatter, it's not even recent news that he's gone and signed with that agency either. Must have been a month or two at least from memory from when I first saw it, why's it only come up and been talked about recently?

But he seems ambitious, so good on him if he's got something lined up further afield. The old cautionary tale being that there won't be many places he ends up where he may be in first team reckoning - at least not initially anyway...

Kid certainly has a work rate, I've seen him doing extras by himself at community pitches in the evening. Really hope he kicks on.

Great to have another exciting young talent come through.

I thought he looked a little headless in the few minutes he had - seemed to be everywehere, but also see this as a positive as he obviously wanted to get involved.

He also looked quite quick across the grass, which is exciting (can coach natural speed - and he still has room to go faster based on age).

YoungHeartHM

RR

At 𝟏𝟔 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐥𝐝, Gabriel Sloane-Rorigues became the youngest player in @WgtnPhoenixFC history last night 🤯

It wasn’t the desired result, but what a special moment for the 2007-born youngster 💛 pic.twitter.com/q39vkAzLBQ

— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) March 10, 2024

First player younger than the club to play for us (credit: @mrsmiis for the stat). He was a couple months old when the Nix/Victory game happened.

It's great that he's got his A-League debut so early on in his career. Obviously a very bright outlook, and he's not even 17 yet!

Hoping to see a lot more of this kid in the Central and National Leagues when our own domestic season kicks off in a few weeks. That's where he's really going to cut his teeth - Week in, week out, where the likes of Hughes, Old, Sutton etc have racked up 30/40/50 appearances before really making their way into the first team set up.

It's interesting he hasn't got a scholarship deal as yet (I'm sure one will be in the pipeline) but he couldn't really ask for too much more at this point in his career could he?

One of the few things Declan Edge and I can agree on is the danger of talking kids up before they have actually achieved anything of note! Totally agree that his appearances in CL/NL will give a really good gauge of whether all the hype is justified. To date he is 0 goals from 350m in those leagues. Contrast that with Luke Supyk (only a year older) who has scored 6 in 660m last year....or 1 every 110m. Supyk was also a key player in a pretty average NZu17 side at the WC.....GSR was a bits and pieces player off the bench....so clearly the NZ selectors do not share Chiefy's view of the player. I was astounded that he was in the squad for the MC game ahead of Supyk and think this came back to bite Chiefy in the bum.......he had really limited attacking options off the bench when it was clear that our attackers were totally gassed!

Sloanes lack of minutes at the U17WC more down to the coach than him and the style or lack of style he wanted to play with.

I'm a little disapointed that his debut has not had a little more noise media wise - imagine a 16 year old making his debut in a Super Rugby Franchise!

Maybe I'm looking for something that's not really there, but do wonder if Chiefy bought GSR in ahead of Supyk, given these rumours GSR's parents/agent are looking to take him overseas.

Italiano and the club, promising him first team mins, in a bid to have him sign a contract & stay. I mean in the big picture is likely to be some movement in the off season, with Old a bleeding obvious target now for Euro clubs. Ball is near the end of his career. Zawada likely gone. So for sure is going to be some opportunities for new/young attacking players next season.

So the club saying to GSR's support network, just wait a few months, next season your boy could be getting alot of first team mins, surrounded by coaches  plus players who know him well, and for his development that's a very good thing. When as we know with youngsters going overseas it can be fraught with uncertainity, and sometimes brutal.

As 17 yr old Nestory Irankunda signing with Bayern Munich shows (reported to be in the region of £3m/$AUD5.7m AUD plus add-ons), ALM clubs don't want their brightest young prospects leaving on a free! I don't think it's a stretch to suggest the Nix will be a bit desperate to have GSR sign a contract. Dome especially has been upfront, the club's model is now maximising transfer fees on young players.

We are only seeing tiny glimpses of him (WC U17s & ALM) but those who have seen him for many hours, day in day out like Chiefy & the experienced worldy Zawada seriously rate the kid.

Edit - watching my Peruvian nephew play here on the Sunshine Coast last season, he would get quite sulky if he felt the coach wasn't giving him enough mins. I think Latinos are more prone to misspell team as tiam!
Football parents of all hues & at all levels, can badger coaches about their kid, but maybe GSR's Brazilian dad (himself a coach, and previously a Brazil U17 international), has quietly told the Nix play my son, otherwise he's off elsewhere. Again I could be completely off the mark.

Oceanic6

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350209425/sweet-16-gabriel-sloane-rodrigues-creates-history-wellington-phoenixs-youngest

Good signs that he'll be around for the WeeNix at least for this season. So what's that, another 27 matches + any Chatham Cup games that he'll still be eligible for (unless he gets a scholarship (?)). Get those minutes in the legs and get those numbers up lad!
 
Seems well grounded and level headed for someone his age too.

Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues; 16 years, 8 months, 6 days

Ben Waine; 17 years 1 month 27 days

Liberato Cacace; 17 years 4 months 6 days

Luke Supyk; 17 years 5 months 23 days

Alex Rufer; 17 years 7 months 28 days

I kind of forgot how young Rufer was when he first played.

18th youngest ever player on ALM debut

Teeboy Kamara
Idrus Abdulahi
Quinn MacNicol *
Max Caputo *
Mohamed Toure
Jonny Yull *
Nestory Irankunda *
Daniel De Silva *
Alusine Fofanah
Gabriel Popovic
Archie Goodwin *
Jacob Italiano
Daniel Alessi
James Virgili
Liam Rose
Ben Kantarovski
Rylan Brownlie *
Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues *

* currently active in the ALM.

Another indicator the ALM is getting younger, and becoming more a development league, if 8 of the 18 youngest ever players are currently active. Based on the fact that the ALM has now been going 17 seasons.

coochiee

Another indicator the ALM is getting younger, and becoming more a development league, if 8 of the 18 youngest ever players are currently active. Based on the fact that the ALM has now been going 17 seasons.

DDS debuted in 2013, so very much an outlier to the other 7. 

To my surprise, TVNZ had the GSR contract news item in their sports bulletin in the 6pm news.