PLAYR Success Stories: Tyrique

Growing up in a football-obsessed household, Tyrique fell in love with the beautiful game at an early age.

By 5, he’d started playing football with his Dad and joined his first amateur team. Showing early signs of promise, he developed his technical and mental game by playing with boys above his age group.

Tyrique joined AFC Wembley (coached by his dad) at the age of 10 and started the switch from left-midfield to centre-back/left-back. Playing in a new position is always tough, but Tyrique has always understood that it’s hard work, a willingness to learn and marginal gains which make the difference. In just a few years, Tyrique had become one of the most recognised defenders in the North London division. It was this reputation that caught our eye at the PLAYR Academy.

In June, we took Tyrique to the Gothia Cup (International Youth World Cup) as a mainstay of the PLAYR Academy’s defence. The team played over 600 minutes of football in just five days, and the physical demand on the players was incredibly taxing. After each game the players were able to look at their stats, including total distance, sprint distance, top speed and power plays. Pairing this knowledge with our SmartCoach advice, players were able to recover and prepare for the games ahead.

“Tyrique understands that it’s everything off the pitch that can make the difference too, from nutrition, to performance data, to sleep,” says Tyrique’s dad. “That’s how he can further his career”. Off the pitch, Tyrique exercises with a personal trainer, monitors his nutrition and analyses game stats like these, from his fourth game at the Gothia Cup:

As you can see, Tyrique puts in the hard yards. He covers 5.4km and performs 25 power plays in 60 minutes — impressive for his fourth game in two days. In order to recover for the next game, our SmartCoach advised him to get in some foam rolling so that’s exactly what he did.

Smart, motivated and with an unrivalled work ethic, it’s no wonder that the top teams have come knocking.

After Gothia, Tyrique was approached by several clubs for a trial. After a successful few weeks at Watford, Tyrique signed for the club. Fair play.

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