London 2012: Team GB's Jack Butland walking in a Brazilian wonderland

19 years, Stuart Pearce

goalkeeper of choice faced Neymar, Hulk and Co London 2012 Olympics Thurs warming

Jack Butland

to the fantasy of being a college football player became reality. The 19-year-old saw the rise vortex of oblivion big game is the dream of many an aspiring player. Next Friday lines Birmingham goalkeeper to the city as the first choice for Stuart Pearce British Olympic XI No. 1 in the opening of the London 2012 warm-up. Opponents in Riverside Stadium will be a Brazilian whose penchant for gold is headed by Neymar, Hulk, Pato, Thiago Silva and Marcelo all high-level international matches and especially veterans Champions League. Don's famous yellow jersey with five winners of the World Cup-star and a lineage that includes Garrincha, Pele, Zico, Romario and Ronaldo.

Butland Faced with this challenge as a professional experienced only 24 appearances in the Premier League loan Cheltenham, the entire city last season. Before summer began with the selection of Roy Hodgson looking for England at Euro 2012, his experience was more glamorous Cheltenham play-off semi-final at Torquay United in May. Not that he has played. By then, he was back with Butland Birmingham after being recalled after an injury to Boaz Myhill.

Chef

Cheltenham Mark Yates said: "He came to see us at Torquay in the second round and stood behind the lens This is the kind of person who is it made its way to him Torquay self and peer support .. I had the season. This shows what it is. "

This show

esprit de corps

a teenager just getting into the game is an example of the head "old on the shoulders of a boy young "who know Butland cited repeatedly as part of his character. This is coupled with a frame of 6 feet 4 inches and a talent who won 27 caps for the England under-16 Butland, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 level, more than 2009 European Championship the age of 17, while Spain had beaten in the final.

• When John Ruddy broke his finger in England in pre-Euro 2012 training camp, Hodgson recognized the potential Butland take him to Poland and Ukraine as the third guardian. Now, could finish their summer surprises like an Olympic champion. Its meteoric rise, Yates said ... "It's going to take it easy without being arrogant or big-headed about it, he knows he is a good goalkeeper, he knows he has a lot to learn and improve, it has 19 years, but bases are there, there will be a guard up. helped only. If there had not been to Cheltenham elsewhere because I needed games. Inclusion [of] the euro has been a meteoric rise, but it was for the experience. I do not think there is really an opportunity that it offers., but he finished with it. "

Butland, who is originally from Bristol and went to school in Clevedon, has taken his game to Jamie Shore Soccer International Academy. Shore, a former Norwich City and Bristol Rovers midfielder said. "The success has been so rapid that he came to us 14 years old and was discovered by Birmingham and he was there, never really looked back, and won international recognition until 21. He has a great technique, is intelligent, balanced, has a great personality is a grafter - .. so he wants to "

Butland Shore believes is better than some of his contemporaries, including the goalkeeper second stream of England, Robert Green. He said. "I was with Richard Wright in the England Under-16 levels and with Rob Green in memory of Norwich glue on the attributes that were, what kind of character he had, and patch are on Jack."

Altitude

Butland the largest selection of England felt rushed, but Shore said: "This is a springboard success, and some people may have been told that the selection for the Euro was premature but in reality it was in the [U-20] World Cup [in 2011], he knows all the coaches of England and you're in a bubble, you're pretty institutionalized: it is what you you train, because I think it will be a great name .. "

go to Birmingham Butland came when impressed by Coast Academy against a junior club affiliated with the Blues. When Blackpool were a Premier League club for two years and was chief Shore youth on his side, Butland has attracted the attention of the manager, Ian Holloway. A Birmingham last season, Colin Doyle was the goalkeeper of choice, Butland wants to play regularly and can go - Southampton, newly promoted, retained an interest. Wherever the future of the youth is, Costa tells a story that suggests why it may continue to rise to fame and prosper in the Olympic Games this month.

"Three years ago, when he was a scholar [Birmingham], I crossed Clevedon and past the playground of their school and the chance where Jack wanted to practice kicking a ball with a partner. It's just kind of summarizes Jack. "

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