At only 10 years old, Luca Venditti of Bradford West Gwillimbury is about to get a taste of his ultimate dream — playing soccer internationally.
The Grade 5 student at St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic School will travel with a group from Juventus Academy Toronto to Turin, Italy next month as one of a handful of players selected to represent Canada at the inaugural under-11/under-12 Juventus World Cup.
“I love the team Juventus and I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be on the field,” he said. “It’s my dream to be a soccer player.”
Depending on which of the two Canadian teams Venditti will play on, he will face teams from Greece, Turkey and Poland, or Sweden, Slovakia and China.
About 1,000 athletes from 32 soccer academies around the world are competing June 9 to 16.
Venditti, who plays left wing, said he is most looking forward to scoring a goal and hopefully meeting Juventus players Paulo Dybala and Gianluigi Buffon.
Even before being selected for the competition, he trained four times a week, as well as going to school.
“It’s tough, but when you find a way, you’ll get it (done),” he said, adding he does a lot of technical training, such as footwork.
His dad, Enzo Venditti, said Luca has been playing soccer since he was three or four years old.
“He always seemed to have a ball at his feet. He’s not being forced to do it,” he said. “We are a big soccer family. There’s always a game going on — (Toronto Football Club) or the games going on in Europe. We always have a game on.”
Enzo, who is travelling to Italy with Luca, said the opportunity happened quickly. He tried out for Juventus Academy Toronto in February, made the team by March, and was chosen soon after for this trip.
“(I’m looking forward to) just seeing him compete against some of the best players in the world,” he said. “We’re very proud of him and excited that he’s taken on this challenge and he’s succeeding.”
