How many parents would agree to send their child to a foreign country, across an ocean, and where they do not speak the language at 12 years old?
Not many, but that is exactly what Lucas Dias’ parents did when they realized the potential that their son had in the game of football. It is the reality for many Canadian and American players, if they do not move to Europe at a young age, they lose out in two respects; the coaching at top European clubs is of much higher quality than most – if not all – North American clubs. Players who stay in North America often have a hard time being seen by top clubs at a young age to be recruited ‘before it is too late’.
Dias has always been playing ahead of his time, when he was a youth player in Canada, he played 2 years up, when he went to Portugal, he was the youngest at their academy, and as of now he plays for the Porto U23 side and Canada’s U23 squad at only 18 years old. To put that in perspective he is playing with people who had their drivers license before he turned 11, so what is so special about Lucas Dias?
Dias is a dynamic attacking midfielder and despite his young age plays with a clear understanding of the game, which is no surprise as he has been immersed football since his move to Portugal at 11 years old. Check out this short documentary about his move from Canada to Portugal, you can see how much he puts into that pursuit at only 12 years old. As he says himself, “I will do anything it takes to become it [a professional footballer].”