Three boys from Weyburn invited to soccer academy in Madrid

It’s a dream come true for three 13-year-old Saskatchewan soccer players.

Ranson Jordens, Ethan Thiedig and Lexington Roy have all been invited to Spain’s prestigious Real Madrid Academy (Real Madrid Club de Fútbol).

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“I’m really excited, because I travel lots, but I’ve never traveled anywhere to play soccer,” Jordens said. “It’ll be really fun, and it’ll be especially fun going with some of my friends.”

The club has the most championship titles in Europe and has been home to stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Júnior.

The opportunity is a big deal for the players and for the Weyburn Soccer Association where they play.

Listen to Jordens, Thiedig and Roy on Behind the Headlines:

The boys were invited after attending a Real Madrid camp in Edmonton. They all received an invitation based on their work ethic, positive attitude and skill level.

Before they can pack their bags and head off to Madrid, they have to raise $30,000 to cover the costs. The trip isn’t until May, giving them lots of time to raise the funds.

Rob said they are in the beginning stages of the fundraising process.

“We have set up an email address for this; it’s road.realmadrid@gmail.com,” the coach explained.

“The Give Send Go Campaign again is ‘Road to Real Madrid.’ That’s our slogan for this campaign. Any level of donation is certainly appreciated, big or small. It’ll all go towards getting these boys to Madrid and and letting them advance their game, have tons of fun and just really enjoy the sport and then that experience and hopefully push their game to even higher levels.”

Rob said he’s confident that the community will come together to help make the dream a reality.

“Any time you can get local athletes on a world stage, I think that is incredibly important for the province and the city,” he said. “It just helps to grow the sport, and helps kind of grow that community involvement and support as well, so I think it’s good all around. It’s a win-win, and even for our local club I think it’ll go really far.”

The boys and their love for soccer goes beyond the field.

“It helps me to be a better person, and I can become a better leader,” Thiedig said.