Aussie soccer star, 9, makes tabloid debut

By ninemsn staff

Nine-year-old Aussie football phenomenon Rhain Davis has made his debut in the UK tabloids — which were quick to paint him as one of their own.

The Brisbane native, who recently signed a youth contract with Manchester United, was featured on the cover of The Sun newspaper.

The report emphasised his British connections, saying "the good news is that he could one day play for England as he has a UK passport through his mother's side."

Manchester signed the child-star after watching DVD footage of his skills on the pitch with Brisbane's Redlands United.

The video, which shows the youngster gliding around opponents using moves characteristic of Christiano Ronaldo, has received over three million hits on YouTube.

Bloggers for rival clubs have also wasted no time weighing in on the subject of Rhain's future.

On Liverpool's website, one went so far as to call him "the future of football."

While youth football experts made only cautious predictions for the boy's future, British press wasted no time comparing the new Man U prospect to previous boy-wonders, Wayne Rooney and Joe Cole. Both were able to convert boyhood talent to international stardom, and may soon be joined by other young stars, such as Benfica's Freddy Adu.

Scouts, however, stressed that not all highly-touted youngsters end up highly-paid stars.

Still, Rhain's abilities are impossible to ignore and have earned him worldwide news coverage.

Such publicity often proves difficult to handle for players so young, as in the case of Sonny Pike, an impressive seven-year-old who quit football after years of pressure and attention gave him a nervous breakdown.

What is certain is that Rhain will get a chance other boys only dream of, as he tries to make the cut at United's youth academy.

He and his father recently made the move to Cheshire so that he can join 29 other 9-year-olds in hopes of landing a full scholarship by age 12.