Tristan Hammond - Meet the Aussie kid following in Ronaldo’s footsteps
Tristan Hammond grew up in the same neck of the woods as Harry Kewell and is part of the Sporting Lisbon production line that spawned the fearsome threesone of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Nani.
15/10/2019 - BY DAVE LEWIS
So there's no wonder the Australian FIFA U-17 World Cup-bound winger is dreaming big as he prepares to test himself against the planet’s elite youngsters in Brazil in the coming weeks.
Every time 16-year-old Hammond rocks up for training at the Portuguese powerhouse he’s reminded of the legacy left by its alumni, and inspired to fulfill his own football destiny.
Entering his fifth year in Portugal, the kid from Edensor Park in Sydney’s west gives praise for the pathway stretching ahead of him.
The one-time Marconi junior, told The World Game from Australia’s pre-World Cup camp in Chile: “It’s amazing to be at the club that produced such incredible players - players who came through the same academy system that I’m at right now.
“I sometimes think to myself, ‘wow, this is a blessing from God’. It’s crazy to think what players like Ronaldo and Figo have achieved. I’ve just got to work hard and see how far I can go.”
After shifting to Portugal aged 11 - along with his mother and sisters, Hammond was picked up by Sporting feeder club Belenenses before being brought on board by Sporting three years ago.
He has two years left on his contract at one of Europe’s great breeding grounds and ultimately dreams of one day following Kewell, Ronaldo and Nani into the Premier League.
“Harry Kewell, what a player,” Hammond said.
“I’ve watched a lot of him and I’d love to also play in the EPL at some point.
“I came here to learn and Portugal is a great place for that. From there there’s Spain, Germany, France, Italy and England.
“I love the intensity of the Premier League and how hard they work. I’ve always been a huge fan of Manchester United (where Ronaldo blossomed into a supernova).”
Hammond will eligible to play for Portugal once he takes out citizenship - but Australia is his first love and believes they can make an impact in Brazil, where they kick off their campaign against Ecuador (October 27 LIVE, FREE and in HD on SBS), before tackling Hungary (October 30) and Nigeria three days later.
“I think we’re strong and we’ve been coached well to adapt to different tactics and I think we’ll do well,” he said.
Coach Trevor Morgan views Hammond as potential game-changer, whose unpredictability and artistry could rattle defenses in Brazil.
“Tristan is a big talent in terms of one-on-one situations, he can beat players running at them or when he’s receiving the ball in tight spaces,” Morgan said.
“He’s unpredictable and creative. He’s instinctive and that makes him hard to play against and exciting to watch.”
Morgan resisted making any direct comparisons with Socceroos winger Daniel Arzani, saying: “Tristan’s a different type of player (to the off-the-cuff trickster).
“His movement pattern is different and we’ve yet to see how far he’ll go (in terms of transitioning rapidly to the Socceroos).
“He’s somebody with a good attitude who works for the team and also brings something different.
“We don’t want players who are cardboard cut outs of each other.
“I trust all the players I’ve selected and there’s competition for every position.
“If Tristan’s at his best he can be a match winner.
“If someone is playing better than him he might be an impact player off the bench. Either way he can be very effective.
“He scores his share of goals at Sporting and is also able to play other people in.”
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