9 Questions with Nahuel Beau

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 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 Nahuel Beau:

What is your first memory of football?

My first memory in football is go to the Estadio Centenario with my dad to support Peñarol. I was 3 or 4 years old and I enjoyed that days a lot.

What attracted you to data and scouting? What’s more intriguing now, refining your processes and acumen or 'discovering' players?

I always found it interesting. I love football, I'm studying journalism and I like it, but over time I became to focus more and more on the game from different areas. I think that it is very important to understand the game, and it will help you to be a better professional. I love to discover new players, but now I'm working in refining my processes to be more efficient in my searches.

What is the biggest misconception/cliche regarding recruitment you’ve found in this space?

Well, It could be that a lot of people thinks scouting is only available for youth players, but in fact it is necessary for all players regardless of age.

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

I think it is very important to be organized. If you see a lot of matches but you don't have a data base with the information you collected, all of that will probably be of little use. For that, I think I would build on that first.

What is more important domain knowledge or curiosity?

I think both are important. Curiosity is a must, it is necessary to begin in this world. Then, obviously knowledge and intuition are necessary to find the players you need, but I'm convinced that it can be improved with time and experience.

What is more useful in scouting- breadth of skills or depth of talent? Why?

Personally, I will always prefer talent over versatility. However, it is true that it is an increasingly valued virtue in football. If a football player can do many things well, he is better than one who only knows how to do one excellent thing but he is regular in the others ones.

What three (3) football icons would you want to have a meal with? Why?

Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Carlos Bilardo. They are three iconic people with different ways of understanding football, and It could be a dream for me.

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

I would say that the key to success is work hard. It's a difficult world to have opportunities, but with hard work, constancy and above all passion for the sport, there will always be reward.

What is your favorite quote or saying?

"The possible is already done. We are doing the impossible". - Marcelo Bielsa.