The Chance Global Finalists Cut From 100 To 52

Following a rest day filled with team bonding fun around the city of Barcelona, Thursday was always going to be the most tense of The Chance Global Final so far. To hear Nike Academy Head Coach Jimmy Gilligan tell it:

“This morning at breakfast I could sense a nervous tension in the air. It was to be expected what with tonight’s cut. Before training I told them all that this was their last chance and I had them all chant, “My Time is Now” because that’s the bottom line. The quality went up once again and I am happy. The boys have been coached in a very professional manner and have responded. Irrespective of the cut tonight, not one of the 100 boys could say that this has been a negative experience.”

In what would be the last session of the week for 48 of the boys, everything was to play for. During another scorching day in the sun, the players were out to impress but seemed relaxed during a shooting drill, something that impressed coach Chris Quidley "It could have been very tense and affected the day’s quality, but for me it was the opposite. Within my group, the standard was up on Monday and Tuesday. The guys were nice and relaxed and that was shown in the shooting drill we did. The players were firing them in, with great skill -- a sure sign they are relaxed. That was very impressive."

The boys were greeted that evening by by Brazilian international defender David Luiz [David Luiz was in Barcelona on Thursday, yes] and were invited to watch Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-2 in El Clásico at Camp Nou before being told whether or not they'd been selected for the final 52 and today's semi-final.

Two of our boys Ashleigh and Jose advanced, leaving Liam among the unlucky 48 offered words of encouragement from Jimmy Gilligan "Every player has been evaluated and debated upon by a very high calibre of coaching and scouting staff. It was a tough decision and a very emotional evening. I would say that we haven’t shattered dreams but derailed them and I would say to the guys leaving us that they now have to show a strong mentality and keep pursuing their goals."

David Luiz spoke to the 52 semi-finalists about taking his second chance in the game "When I was 14, I was rejected by one club and so I know what it is like to get a second chance. I was so hungry to fulfill my dream and I am sure they are too. Now they have to keep fighting. For the next two days they must give their body and soul."

The final 52, featuring British lads Ashleigh Artwell and Jose Figura and resilient Ghanaian Bismark Kwarteng in full below..

# 40 Raoul Lombardo, Italy
# 72 Petar Golubovic, Serbia
# 93 Vladyslav Kolisnyk, Ukraine
# 7 Dario Van Den Buijs, Belgium
# 32 Dimitris Komnos, Greece
# 92 Jose Figura, United Kingdom
# 51 Emilio Rodea, Mexico
# 64 Kamil Piotrowski, Poland
# 100 Brian Iloski, United States
# 38 Andrea Ciribilli, Italy
# 11 Piero Malerba, Chile
# 57 Carlos Batista, Panama
# 16 Kevin David Salazar, Colombia
# 54 Ritchie Steinmann, Netherlands
# 79 Gonzalo Balbi, Spain
# 43 Yuki Yamanouchi, Japan
# 9 Jamerson Neves, Brazil
# 46 Young Jae Seo, Korea
# 90 Asleigh Artwell, United Kingdom
# 68 Kirill Laptev, Russia
# 81 José Manuel Barba, Spain
# 95 Jose Miguel Barreto, Uruguay
# 27 David Fernandes, France
# 44 Sang Jun Lee, Korea
# 76 Teboho Charlie Tsotetsi, South Africa
# 97 Bryan Windsor, United States
# 52 Darryl Bobson, Holland
# 37 Avishay Cohen, Israel
# 39 Marco Di Lauro, Italy
# 61 Fernando Canales, Peru
# 18 Josip Gusković, Croatia
# 24 Joel Bravo, Ecuador
# 84 Napapon Sripratheep, Thailand
# 60 Maurizio Costa, Paraguay
# 10 Tomás José Gellona, Chile
# 31 Bismark Kwarteng, Ghana
# 47 Alexis Khazzaka, Lebanon
# 74 Martin Kostal, Slovak Republic
# 3 Jorge Vallejos, Argentina
# 25 Xavier Delgado, Ecuador
# 2 Tomás Arrachea, Argentina
# 28 Matthieu Pironnet, France
# 65 Nuno Costa, Portugal
# 8 Wallace Camilo, Brazil
# 77 Melusi Zulu, South Africa,
# 6 Ismail H’Maidat, Belgium
# 78 Saifeddine Alami, Spain
# 83 Bubakary Sonko, Sweden
# 41 Ryosuke Kinoshita, Japan
# 73 Faris Bin Abdul Ramli, Singapore
# 96 Santiago Cabezudo, Uruguay
# 34 Dávid Jakab, Hungary