Various football countries in the world have started gearing up for the future. The stars who can rise to the highest apogee in their career are being identified and groomed now.
Brazil have Endrick, Spain have Lamine Yamal, France have Warren Zaire-Emery, among others who have showed great potential to get to the top of their game in the near future.
In Africa, Ghana has Issahaku Fatawu, Rwanda has Hakim Sahabo, Morocco boast of Bilal El Khannouss and all these players are tipped for success.
Understandably, there are more of such youngsters who are excelling at club level but are yet to be identified. A host of talented young African players are scattered across the length and breadth of the globe and are churning out quality performance every week.
Some of these football prospects rather go unnoticed, especially those born to African immigrants. If they are not scouted by their original countries, sometimes it is always tough for them to get the needed hype as the natives.
One of such players is Collins Kagame who is making waves with the U18 side of English National League side Oldham Athletic. The youngster has football glued to his feet and is destined for greatness should he get need support and recognition.
Kagame operates as an offensive midfielder and at times as a striker. He has bagged 8 goals in the Youth Alliance League for the "Latics U18" and remains their best player this season.
Born in Greater Manchester on April 22, 2006, the teenager turned 18 years three days ago and he is set to sign a professional contract into the Oldham Athletic senior team this summer.
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He has spent his entire career at Oldham and has gone through all the Academy levels up to the U18 where he has played for two seasons.
On the international scene, he is eligible to play for Rwanda and England but he is yet to be capped at any level by either of the two countries.
With Rwandan football being gradually revived, the country needs to build a strong youth system so that there will be abundance of talents to feed the senior side.
Some of these youngsters can move straight into the senior national team and even excel just like Hakim Sahabo did when he was with the Lille U18 squad.
With CECAFA U20 boys’ qualifiers set to take place in Tanzania from October 5-19, it is prudent that the coaches start to monitor players like Kagame and call them for the tournament.
Rwanda has a great pool of talents who fall into this category, foreign and local, and they can make a big impression if the right players are called up and good preparations are made.
Sahabo still falls into this age group despite being a full senior international for Amavubi. Kagame joins the club of players like Kennedy Hoziana, Elie Tatou Iradukunda, Thierry Musabyimana and Barthasard Ndayishimiye who can form core of the team.
At 18, Kagame is young, just as Sahabo was poached, the Oldham Athletics teenager should be acquired now to beef off future potential suitors such as England if he gets to the apex of his game.