Argentine soccer surprise for Limerick school pupils 

STUDENTS from the John F Kennedy Memorial School were treated to a special soccer treat last week, as players from the Argentine national team’s Under 18 side paid them a visit.

The professional players, who were all aged between 16 and 18, attended the school on Tuesday afternoon after they were invited by the school’s soccer coach Barrie Wharton.

“The Argentine National Team’s underage squad were in the University of Limerick for a week to undertake an English language course. They are here for a week to better their English, before they head to Scotland for a week to do the same. They all play for the country's under 18 side,” said Barrie, who coaches the second class team. 

“I know the guy who was bringing them over to UL. So we arranged for them to train for awhile with the second class team here at JFK,” he added.

The players, who all play for the national team, also play for a number a number of clubs from Argentina’s top league, the Superliga Argentina de Fútbol.

“The players came from teams like Boca Juniors, who Carlos Tevez played for, Argentinos Juniors who Diego Maradona played for and Newell's Old Boys, where Messi played when he was very young,” said Barrie. 

“The kids were shocked. The skills the Argentinian boys showed were so good and they were so skillful, they were in awe of them. At the end we broke up into two teams and played a match. That's when you saw the real skill come out,” he added