Foot problems led to several operations and an absence of two years. But this spring, Marcus Rafferty made it back to the football field and after a few games in Hammarby’s U19 team, he got the chance to train with the A team in the middle of last week. The attacking midfielder impressed and then jumped in away against Elfsborg last weekend. Against Sirius (2-1 victory) on Sunday, Rafferty was replaced again by coach Marti Cifuentes.
Cifuentes has praised the talent and called his journey “crazy”. The team-mates in green and white have also been totally blown away by the 18-year-old’s progress.
In fact, most people had no idea about Rafferty when he started training with the A team.
– It’s a super talent that came out of nowhere. He did two trainings and you just: “Wow”. I went to (Mikael) Hjelmberg (acting sporting director) straight away and asked: “Who the hell is this guy?”. I just felt: “Wow”, says team captain Nahir Besara, for example.
Midfield shadow Loret Sadiku is equally impressed.
– Phew. I’ve seen him in training and he reminds me a lot of Darijan (Bojanic, former Bajen star). When he trained with us for the first time, just before the match against Elfsborg, he took over the entire training. I just: “Oh, shit, it’s Ronaldinho who’s come here,” says Sadiku.
Did you keep track of him?
– No, I had no idea. And that particular training I was playing centre-back so I just gave him the ball all the time. “Do your thing”, sort of. He is an incredibly good player. He has driven, he has the passes, he has the eye and he is strong in the body. His future looks bright.
Rafferty laughs when he hears about Sadiku’s huge tribute.
– Did he say that? It’s fun to hear that comparison. Yeah… maybe not quite Ronaldinho. He was maybe a little better, Rafferty says, smiling.
Do you understand what he means by Bojanic then, or what do you feel you want to contribute?
– Yes, it’s the passing game, I imagine. I want to contribute by creating scoring chances, being able to play out of pressure and be a bit of an all-rounder in the midfield. If I get the chance on the left wing, I want to challenge a lot and get to shots and penetrations.
– I try to take in as much as possible and not be afraid.
The 18-year-old explains that all the kind words from his teammates give him a push forward.
– It’s fun, of course. It gives me a little boost. I’ve been in the gym a lot, so when I hear something like that after struggling so much with injuries, it gives me an extra boost in my back.
– I didn’t think it would happen this quickly on Wednesday last week.
How is it that many of your teammates didn’t notice you and that you were a hidden object that came out of nowhere?
– It’s fun that I get to shock a little. I understand that they don’t know who I am. Because I haven’t played football in a very long time. Since then, I have only played a few matches in the U19. It is fun. It’s great fun, says Rafferty.
Get to know Rafferty more through an interview that Football Channel did with him earlier this week HERE.
2023-07-09 17:53:00
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