Social media have turned him into a viral sensation, but not for scoring amazing goals or showing off fancy dribbles. The young protagonist of this story has become famous for a much less honorable reason: his extremely tough tackles in youth soccer matches.
Everything started with a video uploaded to Twitter that showed a series of extremely aggressive actions by a child footballer. In just a few seconds, he can be seen running over opponents and lifting teammates his age into the air, applying a level of toughness that's unusual even in professional categories.
The video quickly went viral. Within hours, thousands of users shared it, commented on it, and turned the young player into a trending topic in Spain. The footage sparked a wave of reactions ranging from outrage to astonishment.
A play style that worries coaches and parents
The most alarming thing is that this isn't an isolated incident. Other videos have surfaced in which the same child repeats the same pattern.
Elbows, kicks from behind, late tackles, and even defiant gestures after knocking down his opponents. It's a pattern that repeats itself match after match.
Parents, coaches, and youth soccer experts have started to speak out. They don't understand how this kind of behavior is allowed in a youth soccer league where the main priority should be sports education.
Some even point out that there's a certain level of permissiveness from referees, which makes the problem worse.
Others, however, blame the player's environment directly. "This isn't the child's fault; it's the responsibility of whoever coaches him and those who applaud him from the stands." That's the opinion of a coach with more than 20 years of experience in Spanish youth soccer.
Social media don't forgive: turned into a meme
The media impact has been huge. The child has been dubbed on social media as "child Gattuso," "the Pepe of the under-7s," or "the dirtiest kid in Spain."
The videos have led to hundreds of memes and edits that reinforce his fame, which is far from positive.
This phenomenon has sparked a debate on social media and in the press about the lack of control in certain youth soccer categories. Many users are calling for the federations to take action to prevent these situations from happening again.
Not only for the physical safety of the other children, but also for the ethical development of the player himself.
What now?
The club he belongs to hasn't made an official statement yet. Nor has the regional federation that organizes the competition. Meanwhile, the video keeps racking up views and generating controversy