England has always been at the top when producing raw young talent, but after the golden generation failed to achieve big things for the country there’s hope for this new set of players who could be the next golden generation.
Many names come to mind when talking about this generation, the likes of Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham, or Bukayo Saka have already made a name for themselves and are already considered amongst the world’s greatest.
However, there have been various young players who have left the British Isles with the hopes of making a name for themselves.
One of those names is Noni Madueke who left his hometown of Barnet at the age of 16 to try his luck at PSV, surprisingly in just the space of 3 seasons, he’s already key for the team and could make a big move soon.
A particular story worth to be told, Noni Madueke was just a normal guy who started to play football relatively late.
Early Years
Born the 10th of March of 2002 Noni isn’t his real name, it’s just a nickname used by his family and friends since his early days. He was born in the London district of Barnet to Nigerian parents who moved there because of how much they liked the area.
Noni’s priority wasn’t football, and he didn’t like it during his early years, several years had to pass before he ended up falling in love with the game and beg his parents to sign him up for a Sunday League team.
Once there, Noni didn’t stop playing even putting football before school and training until he felt like he had done enough to impress scouts after being considerably better than the rest of the kids.
The opportunity came and his parents received a call from non-other than Crystal Palace who were more than happy to receive the young Noni for a trial, a trial where he impressed everyone working for the academy and was soon signed to play for them. Even now Noni has said that at Crystal Palace he’s had the best times of his career as a youngster.
It was a late start for him however starting to play at the age of 10 instead of the normal 6 but after two incredible years at Crystal Palace, he and his parents decided that they would accept any opportunity that helped Noni grow into a great footballer.
The decision had to wait a further two years after he was offered a trial at Tottenham where he would later sign for at the age of 14 years old.
On the Spurs academy he was considered to be very mature and humble for his age and was named captain of his team shortly after joining, where he would not only be an amazing captain but an attacking threat on every attacking position he played at being good at striker, both the wings and even the centre attacking midfield position.
After scoring 25 goals in just 22 games on his first season for Tottenham his scoring mindset didn’t stop there and he was always trying to get the best out of his attacking opportunities, that’s one of the many things that made him stand out.
His consistent performances for the Spurs academy were seen by the English national team who called him up for the U-16’s, a call-up that only helped Madueke for the better.
After the call-up, big teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, or Manchester City came knocking on the door to try and acquire the services of the young, electric winger who had lots of potential.
Spurs were aware of the interest of these teams and decided to offer a contract to Noni, however, he rejected it because he wanted to expand his horizons, a clever choice that has taken him to where he is now.
Signing For PSV
Noni had been studying players who had had a similar path to him and where they ended up, after analyzing many he came across to what would be his desired path, Jadon Sancho’s move to Dortmund inspired the young Noni to do the same, but instead of joining Dortmund he decided to take his game somewhere else where almost no English player had been, and that’s the Eredivisie.
After considering his options together with his family they decided what was the right step for Madueke’s career, the decision was made, the youngster was moving to the Netherlands to play for PSV.
His choice for PSV was clear, after world-class players such as Memphis Depay, Romario, or Ronaldo Nazario started their careers on PSV he wanted to do the same.
Eindhoven is a very calm city where there’s little to no crime and where things are accessible, PSV’s training ground for example is a beautiful and calm place, the perfect atmosphere where a youngster can develop.
He was signed on a three-year contract to play for the U-19’s squad at the age of 16 with the hopes of playing first-team football before the contract expired.
On his first appearance for the academy, he scored a hat-trick and assisted two, something very strange coming from someone playing with people three years older than them. After a brief spell on the academy, he was put into the squad for Jong PSV (PSV’s B Team) for the 2019/20 season.
On his debut season for Jong PSV on the Second division he made 15 goal contributions in just 11 games which were something that no one had ever achieved before at such a young age.
There was one particular person at the club who helped Madueke develop to his fullest, that man is none other than United legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy who trained with him to improve his finishing and his ability when in the opposition’s area.
PSV First-Team Debut and Career
The 19th of January of 2020 is a day that will forever remain on Noni Madueke’s memory, after various years of hard work he made his debut for PSV on the Eredivisie against VV Venlo and since then he has been a regular for PSV.
The 2020/21 season was great for Madueke as he had a breakout season being key in many games for the club and showcasing his talent during the whole season, especially being able to express himself in the Europa League where he didn’t disappoint.
This season, however, bad luck has taken over Noni Madueke, and he has been injured for a good part of the season, still when he’s played Noni has had a crucial role for PSV carrying them in the 4-0 win in the Johan Cruyff Shield yet hopes still remain on the youngster to carry PSV to glory once again.
Madueke’s Future – Move to a Bigger Club
It’s no wonder that Noni Madueke could be leaving PSV sooner rather than later and with many clubs keeping an eye on the youngster, where could he possibly go?
A hypothetical return to Tottenham could be a great option for Noni as the right-wing for Spurs has always been the lacking position of the three on the attack. A perfect partnership with Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son could be differential for Madueke’s career.
Dortmund is also amongst the favorites to sign Madueke on a permanent deal, it’s no wonder that after the success Jadon Sancho had they would love to sign someone who not only is following the same path as him but is like him playing-wise and with the hopes of trying to keep Haaland the partnership the two could make would be a nightmare for teams.
The German giants and the most feared team in Europe Bayern Munchen are also keen on bringing Madueke to their team to help him progress and once Robert Lewandoski leaves have him as one of the stars of the club.
An interesting but risky option for Noni Madueke could be to return to England playing for Newcastle United. We all know of the economic ability the team from St James Park has and Madueke could be a good fit for the team whose aim is to try and reach Champions League football.
Another unlikely move for Noni Madueke that could work out is Atletico de Madrid in Spain. The team is known to be a very defensive team whose attacks depend mostly on counters, that’s why having a player like Madueke could be helpful, a direct and versatile player with lots of explosiveness could be deadly in La Liga.
Summary
Noni is a versatile and explosive winger who only has one goal, reaching the opponent’s area and finishing. Since his early years, he’s proved to be an excellent striker who’s very lethal when reaching the opponent’s area, not only that but outside of the pitch, he’s a very humble and mature guy who knows what to do in every situation, something that will help him everywhere he goes.
