11 Questions with Kevoni

The pursuit of wisdom in any walk of life quickly reveals that what you think you know is not nearly enough to get you to where you want to go. As I'm starting out in my football scouting journey I challenged myself to reach out to those already working in various roles in football to answer a short list of questions. My goal wasn't to get answers but relevant perspectives on the game within the game.

Here is Kevoni:

How did your first opportunity in football come about?

Don't remember exactly but I'm pretty sure I just asked someone on twitter if I could write an article for their website and it kinda grew from there.   

What attracted you to media/data/scouting? What’s more intriguing now names or numbers?  

In life I've always been interested in knowing more and that was no different in football/soccer. After I got really interested in the sport, I always wanted to know more about clubs, players, coaches, agents etc. I'm more attracted to finding talented young players nowadays because they're the future, and it's always cool to know you saw the future before it came. 

I find both equally intriguing; it's always cool when you find a player with an interesting nickname or name (ex: Real Zaragoza's U19 team has a player nicknamed Totti), but it's just as intriguing when you find a player who's scored 28 goals in 22 matches (ex: Diego Rodríguez for Sevilla Juvenil C (U17)). But of course, as a scout you want to focus more on the numbers and how a player plays instead of thinking they'll be a great player because of having a cool name.

What type of player fascinates you? What caught your eye?

I'm personally fascinated by players who are effective (at scoring or assisting) and entertain. As a result, I'm usually more fascinated by flamboyant wingers (ex: Neymar at Santos), ball-playing center-backs (ex: Pablo Ramón at Real Madrid U19), and skillful attacking midfielders (Ömer Faruk Beyaz at Fenerbache). 

This is because I personally believe that we watch football/soccer (and even all sports) to be entertained and flamboyant players are the ones that most kids look up to, dreaming to be. However, any player who plays with intelligence and has good athletic ability will usually stand out in a match when playing in a normal position with confidence and that's what catches my eye the most when watching matches.

What is the biggest misconception you’ve found in this space?

The use of statistics without context. Often I see stats such as x player has not been dribbled the whole season, or x goalkeeper has conceded a large number of goals. A player not getting dribbled doesn't necessarily mean he's a brilliant defender, he could just be a winger who doesn't defend too much or a center-back part of a great back-line. A goalkeeper who has conceded a large number of goals in a given season doesn't mean he's a terrible goalkeeper, he could just be playing behind a awful defensive line and/or isn't fluent in the main language of the league. 

Of course, stats like these should be kept in mind and are somewhat noteworthy when you're going though a recruitment process, but I believe it's important to balance; always know the context of statistics and watch enough footage on the player before making a opinion on a player.  

If you could start over what skill would you build on first?

Time management for me is the most important skill in not only football, but also life in general. Making sure you have enough time to exercise, work, and scout is a very important skill. If you're just scouting 20 hours a day, you won't last long in the profession and may develop chronic health problems as well. Time management is a skill that no person will ever completely master (we only have 24 hours a day no matter what we do), but we can always try and improve our time management skills by writing schedules, planning, and making sure we have the right balance to live a healthy life.

What is more important domain knowledge or curiosity?

Both, but if you're just getting started in scouting/media, having the curiosity is the most important...don't just assume a player is great because everyone else says so; always ask why and research a bit into how he plays. When you're more advanced in scouting/media, it's important to have a large domain...know the names and how they play. But without curiosity, you'll never get enough domain knowledge and you should always be willing to ask questions and research. 

What is your favorite sports moment? Why?

As a Sevilla supporter, I'm going to have to go with when Sevilla won their third Europa League in a row (5th all time) against Liverpool in 2016. It was the pinnacle of all the years of hard work Monchi and Emery had put in to get to that point. Sevilla had gone through their toughest times with relegations and financial problems in the late 90's and the tragic death of promising player Antonio Puerta in 2007. To have won a third Europa League in a row was the culmination of the 16 years of hard work Monchi had done in developing a great policy of buy low sell high, a large network of scouts, and developing great players through the youth system. 

What coach or player would you give a lifetime contract to? Why?

Coach: Jorge Sampaoli

Player: José Antonio Reyes

I'd give a lifetime contract to Sampaoli because he's a manager who always plays high pressing attacking football and can get the best out of extremely talented enigmatic players (ex. Jorge Valdivia at Chile, Samir Nasri at Sevilla). Although he's teams often lack discipline and Sampaoli's somewhat of a controversial figure, his teams always play entertaining football.

Although he passed away just over a year ago, Reyes is the one player I'd give a lifetime contract to. He was a leader who led with example, someone who always wanted to win, and above all a great person, always smiling and joking. As a player, he was a complete attacking force; versatile and able to assist as much as he scored. The quality he had in his left foot never left him and it was almost like he was always playing just for fun.

I'll leave just one example: When Reyes signed for second division side Cordoba CF in the winter market of the 2017-18 season, they were deep in the relegation zone and he was overweight. However, Reyes drove the team forward, starring in center midfield, seeing passes no one else could see and also losing 14 kilos of weight. In just four months, Reyes had inspired Cordoba to safety and became a fan favorite. In the final match of the season, with salvation secured, Reyes was given a long standing ovation with the entire stadium chanting his name. There's no other player I'd give a lifetime contract to besides Reyes.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into this space?

Believe in yourself, work hard, and live a balanced life.

Who is your favorite athlete? Why?

Paulo Henrique Ganso, he never really met the unfair expectations given to him but it's a joy to see him play. Although not the fastest or most athletic, Ganso is extremely intelligent and his creativity and vision of the game as well as how he makes everything seem so easy is what I like the most. It's a shame he was never given trust in Europe and his elegant "classic South American 10" playing style was outdated in modern football.

What is your favorite quote or saying?

Always turn a negative situation to a positive situation. - Micheal Jordan