Jorge Alvial stands out for the different players he discovered during his long career as a scout: he noticed Pulisic, Aguero, Higuaín and Alphonso Davies when they were still boys. Now, after passing through Chelsea and Manchester United, he arrives with an American to try his luck at the Under-20s at Universidad Católica.
Jorge Alvial has had one of the most incredible careers in Chilean football. Although not a household name to ordinary domestic fans, the Iquiqueño has been part of such prestigious clubs as Chelsea and Manchester United, and a key figure in the work of North American teams such as FC Cincinnati and Atlanta United have raised.
The reason for his anonymity to a wide audience is that Alvial is not on the pitch. His role is in the stands, watching every move of players present and future. For more than 20 years, he has been dedicated to it and today he is one of the most successful recruiters on the planet. He recommended Christian Pulisic when he was just 12 years old. He sent Manchester United more than a dozen reports of Alphonso Davies as he made his debut for Vancouver Whitecaps. He told Mourinho to sign Higuaín for Chelsea and he noticed Sergio Agüero when he was still a boy, he didn’t stand out at Independiente.
This record has him based in the United States, but with an eye on Chile, as two projects currently link him to the country. The first is a promise from The Gambia, a West African country completely surrounded by Senegal and home to nearly three million people. His name is Ousman Touray, he is 20 years old and he plays as a centre-forward.
His height of 1.96 meters and being left-handed appear to be his main qualities. Some who will now be tested at Universidad Católica, a team where Alvial once worked decades ago. A bet that could be seen very soon on the Chilean courts.
But Alvial also works in another space. He is currently the new signature of the startup B Talent Start, an application that seeks to give the opportunity to thousands of young people to offer themselves to clubs through videos where they show their talents. “I spoke to people in England, France, Italy and the United States and the truth is that they all thought it was a great idea, saved a lot of time and money. Professional teams see that this will help them a lot in reducing the number of lost children says Jorge about the project led by former footballer Benjamín Ruiz and his partner Pablo Muñoz.
Indeed, the conversation between El Deportivo and Alvial was born in full international launch of the application. The strategist is convinced that the idea will serve the clubs very well and that it will be an excellent complement to traditional recruitment, since it can never be completely replaced.
And it is that the Chilean career was thus paved. Knowing the players one by one is what has made a name for themselves among people who dedicate themselves to the world of scouts. “When I was working at the Catholic University, Frank Anderson, with whom I had a good relationship, called me and asked me which player I would recommend to Europe. My answer was “a very young man, Agüero”. He didn’t listen to me, but he realized that, so when he started working at Chelsea, he offered me to be the head of recruiting for the team in North and South America. . remembers who was the coach of the Puerto Rico Islanders at the time.
This opportunity brought the Iquiqueño to the forefront of world football. He spent nine years with the London team and shared with coaches of the stature of André Villas-Boas, Guss Hiddink, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti and José Mourinho. Of the latter, he is one of those who keep the best memories.
“The one who trusted me a lot was José Mourinho. A spectacular person, who treated me very well and with whom we talked about many players. I recommended Higuaín to him when he was very young and was about to go see him in Argentina, but Real Madrid bought him. Another I got on very well with was Ancelotti, who the first time I met him asked me who was the best young player in South America. I told him Javier Pastor and he replied that he was someone who knew football. We are okay “, admits Alvial.
But if any coach has a special place for Jorge, it’s Mourinho. With the Portuguese, they generated such a close relationship that when ‘The Special One’ signed for Manchester United, he didn’t hesitate to call the Chilean for his coaching staff. That’s why he knows his method perfectly:He really liked the player’s personality. I agree because I am also looking for players with this strong personality, who are not afraid of anything, who believe they are capable of anything and who have a passion to learn. It was the first thing we focused on.
Even the scout recounts never-before-seen details about Mou’s time with the Red Devils and the complicated environment he had to work in. “This period was very difficult, it was another way of doing things. At United, there was a very strong separation between the first team, the scouts and the second team. I know Mou didn’t like him, because he used to work like at Chelsea where he went down to the minor divisions, everything was a very close union. confesses from his home in Georgia.
This topic makes it impossible not to take the conversation to Alexis Sánchez and his move to United, a signing in which he had a big impact. “When he asked me for a striker, I recommended Sánchez. He had great confidence in Alexis, in fact he had known him for a long time, because I had recommended him to him when he was 16-17 and we were at Chelsea.” admits.
But Alexis is not the only Chilean for whom Alvial has fought. In fact, he was the one who recommended signing Cristián Cuevas for the blue team. A player who promised a lot, but who ended up failing to find a place in European football. He also has a reflection on this subject:I think it was a very strong change to move from O’Higgins to Chelsea. He went to a very difficult level and it cost him dearly. If we had done something like dropping him off at O’Higgins and taking him to Chelsea once in a while, it might have cost him a lot less.”
And another who was on the radar was Eduardo Vargas. The striker was close to arriving at Chelsea after his big campaign with the U, but he ended up signing for Napoli in the end. “We were very close to signing him, everything was ready but in the end I think the manager changed and went to Italy.” is holding.
The big question, yes, is how Alvial chooses a player. What do you see, what do you need to find to recommend it. A question he answers clearly. “I always pay attention to the personal part, to the character of the player. One of the examples that I always give to the boys, for me it’s Zamorano, Drogba… these are players who told them no five times when they were 15 years old. They are players who knew what they had, with a very strong personality. No one stopped him” comment.
All this makes it surprising to discover that after these first years at the Catholic University (where he discovered Humberto Suazo), he never had the opportunity to work in the country again. “I would love to come and work in Chile, so far I have never had an offer” confess.
Finally, Alvial has the players who have amazed him the most in his career. Unique ones. “One of the geniuses was Humberto Suazo. He was chubby, if you looked at him he didn’t look like a footballer, but he was a genius. Another was Neymar who I saw when I was 14. Pulisic that I saw him when he was 12, Alphonso Davies too. A lot of people have told me that you recommend him for United. When I saw it, I found other things that others didn’t see” close.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
