Barcelona swoop to sign rising star, Zak Gilsenan, 9, discovered in Australia

Zak Gilsenan was on a Tottenham Hotspur holiday coaching camp in Sydney when he was spotted by a Barcelona scouts and offered a trial with the club

To say the trial went well is an understatement – Zak scored seven goals in one match, and has since been offered a place at Barcelona's prestigious FCBE Academy.

Zak's father Stephen, told the Irish Sun: "I know Zak is young to be doing this but kids are like a sponge at this age. People say we are mad but in Barcelona he will be educated in the best footballing techniques.

“All we can do is go and see how it develops. We know it's ruthless over there. We don't want him turned into a machine, we just want him to enjoy it."