Coach Leo's Favorite Players

Get to know our WSC coaches in our weekly blog spotlight

My name is Coach Leo Estrada, and I have been coaching at WSC for over a year. Three players that motivated me to become the football player and coach I am today are Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, and Xavi Hernandez. All three payers make the game look simple, even when they are under pressure.

Ronaldhino won a world cup with Brazil at a very young age in 2002 and became one of the most skillful footballers. In today's time, he is still respected by many even the rival fans. The last goal that I saw him score was a free kick against Mexico in 2011. He wasn't at his prime, but he was able to prove he still had the skillset.

Thierry Henry won a world cup with France in 1998 and was known as one of the best Forward players of his generation. Scoring 30 goals and becoming unbeatable in 2002-03. In that year, there was a lot of pressure on Arsenal because the coach decided to announce that they would not lose a game that year. The result of the season was that they had 26 wins and 12 draws. He is now the assistant coach for the Belgium national football team and did well at the 2018 world cup by winning 3rd place. 

Xavi Hernandez won the world cup with Spain in 2010, including several Champions League with Barcelona. His style of playing is what truly amazed me. His style, Tiki Taka (a Spanish style of short passes and movement), is his favorite and makes the game look beautiful, simple and doesn't waste energy on unnecessary plays. Instead of teaching our kids about doing tricks like Cristian Ronaldo, I like to support and teach the fundamentals of the game, like the players I mentioned, keeping the game simple. When I met Henry, he told me that in the Academy, their main focus for your entire first year is "the first touch." I worked on my first touch throughout college and became a successful player making the 1st team at Monroe College.