Could Arron make journey from Chichester City to Barcelona?

His dad Mike wrote to the Spanish giants towards the end of 2012, and Arron - who plays for Chichester City Colts - received an invite to attend a day’s trial at their famed academy, Le Masia.

Literally translated as The Farmhouse, Le Masia is renowned for providing Barcelona with a conveyor belt of new talent, including arguably the world’s best ever player, Lionel Messi.

On the day under-eight player Arron was invited to watch a game between two Barcelona sides at the under-ten level, a game which Arron’s father Mike described as having an ‘outstanding level of technical ability’.

After being inspired by Barcelona’s current crop, Arron’s moment to shine arrived.

Boys were split into two groups and placed under the scrutiny of several academy coaches, and Arron was put through his paces in a series of demanding drills and practices.

The majority of focus centred on Barcelona’s ‘tika taka’ style of play and the emphasis of the session was on passing and moving. The trial included a lot of one-on-one work while players were constantly monitored by coaches, who would ultimately deliver the final verdict.

The trial ended with a eight-a-side game which saw Arron team up with other trialists from other far-flung places such as the USA and Japan.

Arron said: “I was nervous walking out of the tunnel to start the trial, but overall I had a wonderful day. My favourite part of the day were the drills, and now I cant wait to find out if I’m through to the second trial.”

Arron’s family and everyone at Chichester City are extremely proud of him and wish him luck for the future.

JAMES SANDFORD