Bank on Jordon
Teen is lighting up Liverpool, who play Southampton today, in a style reminiscent of compatriot Raheem Stirling
Jonathan Northcroft Published: 22 February 2015
Ibe believe: youngster Jordan drew the penalty that secured victory over Besiktas (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
HE HELD off one man, beat another, veered beyond a third, and thrashed a shot past the goalkeeper. Then he hared away, escaping teammates and dodging a photographer, to embrace that special woman in the crowd. Charlotte. His mum.
“It was a moment you don’t forget. As a family they never, ever, will,” says Gary Waddock fondly. Waddock was his manager and Jordon Ibe had scored for Wycombe on his full debut, against Sheffield Wednesday. Aged 15.
“Precocious” is still the word to describe Ibe. Thursday brought his European debut. In a tight game, against savvy Besiktas, he made the difference by drawing the penalty that provided Liverpool’s 1-0 win. It was with a dribble, featuring his trademark of shifting the ball inside then whisking it back outside with hypnotic speed: Atinc Nukan fouled him in frustration.
The way Ibe saved such runs for the right moments, holding position and passing sensibly at other times, again showed him able to balance responsibility and freedom in a way few youngsters master. Gareth Southgate watched. Ibe, 19, is in contention for England Under-21s, although Nigeria also want him.
Being in demand is nothing new. Ibe chose Liverpool ahead of Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United when he left Wycombe just after turning 16. Aged 10, he spent three weeks at Millwall then six weeks at Chelsea, who he supported, before joining Charlton’s academy.
Liverpool is his father David’s team. “Dad liked Fowler, Rush, Dalglish, Aldridge. I watched the [2005] Champions League final until, like, 10 in the evening. I wasn’t allowed to stay up, but I did.”
Dad is supervising talks that should lead to Ibe signing a new five-year contract. “He is proud and the whole family is proud,” says Ibe. Family. Roots. Friendships. That’s what concerns Liverpool’s successor to Raheem Sterling (exactly a year older and Ibe’s close pal). “I be about me, if it isn’t family/Close friends, I ain’t about . . .” Ibe tweeted. He means it.
His first club was Welling Wanderers, from the South East London and Kent Youth League, and the day Ibe left south London to move to Merseyside, his old coach there, Mark Harding, took a call. “His dad rang and said, ‘You’re where it all started, we’d like to come and see you and say thanks’.
“Jordon’s one of the nicest kids you’ll meet. Polite. A role model. And his dad’s a really nice fella too.”
Harding remembers the small boy with outsized talent who joined his Under-10s. South East London and Kent was one of the Football Association’s test areas when Mini-Soccer (seven-a-side on a small pitch) was introduced and Ibe thrived in its skills-based environment. “At first he was very, very raw. He hadn’t played organised football, but he had pace, power, strength, ability. For a while I couldn’t work out if he was right or left footed. He’d just go past the whole team and smash it in with his right. Then do exactly the same — but smash it in with his left,” Harding recalls.
It’s ironic to hear Ibe say now: “I’m learning from the attacking players, like Mario [Balotelli], Raheem, Daniel Sturridge and [Philippe] Coutinho, and I’m trying to add goals to my game.”
When he was a kid, “he was all about scoring. In fact, I used to ban him from scoring in training,” Harding laughs. “He was just beating everyone and smashing it in from God knows where, so I’d say ‘OK, now after you’ve gone past everyone you have to pass.’
“He’d do that, then after a while come back and say, ‘Am I allowed to score now?’”
Charlton released Ibe after he had suffered growing pains. Briefly, he was through with football. Then he began excelling at schools level and Michael Carnegie, a Wycombe scout, saw him play for his borough.
Ibe was one of Wycombe’s last products before cutbacks forced the club to abandon an enviable youth programme. At 14 he starred for their Under-18s and, in school holidays, Waddock began including him in first-team training. “After a couple of sessions the players were saying, ‘Who’s this lad?’” says Waddock. Ibe made his debut, as a sub, aged 15 and 244 days.
“I had lengthy discussions with Richard Dobson, our academy head, and Steve Hayes, our owner, because there’s a lot at stake — the boy’s welfare, development, education,” says Waddock about playing Ibe at 15. “But you didn’t have to be a genius to work out Jordon would go right to the top of the professional game. If you took his age out of it and asked, ‘Is he good enough for the first team?’, the answer was simply yes.”
“And Jordon’s a grounded young man, lovely family. He wasn’t affected. Coaching talent like that — it’s the joy of the job, what keeps you going on those cold mornings.”
Liverpool paid Wycombe £500,000, plus considerable add-ons, for Ibe. It was Rafa Benitez who instigated a strategy of cherry-picking the best 14- to 16-year-olds from academies around England, paying big fees if necessary. Sterling, Jerome Sinclair, Andre Wisdom and Sheyi Ojo arrived in similar ways.
Like them, Ibe benefited from Liverpool’s go-ahead academy that prioritises personal development equally with football learning. “[Liverpool] was a good choice,” he says. “My family moved with me and I haven’t been homesick at all. I had education when I was in the youth team, so everything’s been cool and I’ve made friends at the club.”
Brendan Rodgers’ willingness to trust talent is helping. Rodgers recalled him from a loan at Derby, and being so wanted “has given me confidence to join the first team and try and prove myself”, Ibe says.
Starting big games against Besiktas, Everton and Tottenham, he has seemed unfazed. “When I made my debut I had a few nerves, but I’ve played in big stadiums on pre-season tours and when I go on the pitch I have that confidence to do well,” Ibe says.
He had always been an attacker before being deployed as wing-back in Rodgers’ 3-4-3; the manager believes he could become the complete wide player, capable of excelling as full-back, wing-back or winger. “Wing-back is good, because I can still attack the full- back,” Ibe says. “It’s new for me to cover attacking and defending, but I enjoy it.”
Only one cloud: on summer tour, he faced Sturridge in a hip-hop quiz for the club’s television channel and Sturridge won. “He was very lucky though. I’ve told him when we tour again, I’ll ask them to sort [another quiz] but with people I know — my era,” Ibe quips. Sturridge, he sighs, is just too old: 25, outdated. “I don’t really listen to Eminem.”
Teen is lighting up Liverpool, who play Southampton today, in a style reminiscent of compatriot Raheem Stirling
Jonathan Northcroft Published: 22 February 2015
Ibe believe: youngster Jordan drew the penalty that secured victory over Besiktas (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
HE HELD off one man, beat another, veered beyond a third, and thrashed a shot past the goalkeeper. Then he hared away, escaping teammates and dodging a photographer, to embrace that special woman in the crowd. Charlotte. His mum.
“It was a moment you don’t forget. As a family they never, ever, will,” says Gary Waddock fondly. Waddock was his manager and Jordon Ibe had scored for Wycombe on his full debut, against Sheffield Wednesday. Aged 15.
“Precocious” is still the word to describe Ibe. Thursday brought his European debut. In a tight game, against savvy Besiktas, he made the difference by drawing the penalty that provided Liverpool’s 1-0 win. It was with a dribble, featuring his trademark of shifting the ball inside then whisking it back outside with hypnotic speed: Atinc Nukan fouled him in frustration.
The way Ibe saved such runs for the right moments, holding position and passing sensibly at other times, again showed him able to balance responsibility and freedom in a way few youngsters master. Gareth Southgate watched. Ibe, 19, is in contention for England Under-21s, although Nigeria also want him.
Being in demand is nothing new. Ibe chose Liverpool ahead of Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United when he left Wycombe just after turning 16. Aged 10, he spent three weeks at Millwall then six weeks at Chelsea, who he supported, before joining Charlton’s academy.
Liverpool is his father David’s team. “Dad liked Fowler, Rush, Dalglish, Aldridge. I watched the [2005] Champions League final until, like, 10 in the evening. I wasn’t allowed to stay up, but I did.”
Dad is supervising talks that should lead to Ibe signing a new five-year contract. “He is proud and the whole family is proud,” says Ibe. Family. Roots. Friendships. That’s what concerns Liverpool’s successor to Raheem Sterling (exactly a year older and Ibe’s close pal). “I be about me, if it isn’t family/Close friends, I ain’t about . . .” Ibe tweeted. He means it.
His first club was Welling Wanderers, from the South East London and Kent Youth League, and the day Ibe left south London to move to Merseyside, his old coach there, Mark Harding, took a call. “His dad rang and said, ‘You’re where it all started, we’d like to come and see you and say thanks’.
“Jordon’s one of the nicest kids you’ll meet. Polite. A role model. And his dad’s a really nice fella too.”
Harding remembers the small boy with outsized talent who joined his Under-10s. South East London and Kent was one of the Football Association’s test areas when Mini-Soccer (seven-a-side on a small pitch) was introduced and Ibe thrived in its skills-based environment. “At first he was very, very raw. He hadn’t played organised football, but he had pace, power, strength, ability. For a while I couldn’t work out if he was right or left footed. He’d just go past the whole team and smash it in with his right. Then do exactly the same — but smash it in with his left,” Harding recalls.
It’s ironic to hear Ibe say now: “I’m learning from the attacking players, like Mario [Balotelli], Raheem, Daniel Sturridge and [Philippe] Coutinho, and I’m trying to add goals to my game.”
When he was a kid, “he was all about scoring. In fact, I used to ban him from scoring in training,” Harding laughs. “He was just beating everyone and smashing it in from God knows where, so I’d say ‘OK, now after you’ve gone past everyone you have to pass.’
“He’d do that, then after a while come back and say, ‘Am I allowed to score now?’”
Charlton released Ibe after he had suffered growing pains. Briefly, he was through with football. Then he began excelling at schools level and Michael Carnegie, a Wycombe scout, saw him play for his borough.
Ibe was one of Wycombe’s last products before cutbacks forced the club to abandon an enviable youth programme. At 14 he starred for their Under-18s and, in school holidays, Waddock began including him in first-team training. “After a couple of sessions the players were saying, ‘Who’s this lad?’” says Waddock. Ibe made his debut, as a sub, aged 15 and 244 days.
“I had lengthy discussions with Richard Dobson, our academy head, and Steve Hayes, our owner, because there’s a lot at stake — the boy’s welfare, development, education,” says Waddock about playing Ibe at 15. “But you didn’t have to be a genius to work out Jordon would go right to the top of the professional game. If you took his age out of it and asked, ‘Is he good enough for the first team?’, the answer was simply yes.”
“And Jordon’s a grounded young man, lovely family. He wasn’t affected. Coaching talent like that — it’s the joy of the job, what keeps you going on those cold mornings.”
Liverpool paid Wycombe £500,000, plus considerable add-ons, for Ibe. It was Rafa Benitez who instigated a strategy of cherry-picking the best 14- to 16-year-olds from academies around England, paying big fees if necessary. Sterling, Jerome Sinclair, Andre Wisdom and Sheyi Ojo arrived in similar ways.
Like them, Ibe benefited from Liverpool’s go-ahead academy that prioritises personal development equally with football learning. “[Liverpool] was a good choice,” he says. “My family moved with me and I haven’t been homesick at all. I had education when I was in the youth team, so everything’s been cool and I’ve made friends at the club.”
Brendan Rodgers’ willingness to trust talent is helping. Rodgers recalled him from a loan at Derby, and being so wanted “has given me confidence to join the first team and try and prove myself”, Ibe says.
Starting big games against Besiktas, Everton and Tottenham, he has seemed unfazed. “When I made my debut I had a few nerves, but I’ve played in big stadiums on pre-season tours and when I go on the pitch I have that confidence to do well,” Ibe says.
He had always been an attacker before being deployed as wing-back in Rodgers’ 3-4-3; the manager believes he could become the complete wide player, capable of excelling as full-back, wing-back or winger. “Wing-back is good, because I can still attack the full- back,” Ibe says. “It’s new for me to cover attacking and defending, but I enjoy it.”
Only one cloud: on summer tour, he faced Sturridge in a hip-hop quiz for the club’s television channel and Sturridge won. “He was very lucky though. I’ve told him when we tour again, I’ll ask them to sort [another quiz] but with people I know — my era,” Ibe quips. Sturridge, he sighs, is just too old: 25, outdated. “I don’t really listen to Eminem.”
