The player, part of the U19s, is carrying out work experience in Administrative Management with the club’s Human Resources Department
Teo Bou is enjoying an intense and exciting year with Villarreal CF. In addition to his unexpected promotion to form part of the U19s (Juvenil A) in the middle of the campaign, the defender from Villarreal is completing an internship in the club’s Human Resources department. An enriching experience, which opens the doors to the professional world, because he is fully aware that there is life beyond football.
“I knew I had to study something. My family also asked me to do so and I decided to do an apprenticeship to be able to combine it with football. In the end, making a living from this is very complicated. It’s something that can go well or badly. So you have to think about building a future and having an alternative. And the truth is that I’m really enjoying it,” admits the defender from Vila-real, who with this adventure is entering the world of work for the first time, far from the world on the pitch.
“I am treated very well by my colleagues in Human Resources. They offered me the opportunity to come here and make a schedule that would allow me to reconcile practice with football. I am very happy and grateful. I’m helping with what I can and above all learning,” explains the teenager.
An important year with the U19s
As a player, it has been a season with a lot of motivation for Teo Bou (2007), as the sporting management gave him the opportunity to join Villarreal’s U19s (Juvenil A). “At the beginning of the season, I was playing at a good level and I felt good with the U18s. Then, unfortunately, Sory Traoré picked up an injury. They gave me the opportunity and, even though I knew it was going to be very difficult to get minutes, it was good for me to prepare myself and gain experience in order to be an important player next season,” he confesses.
On a personal level, he is very satisfied with the opportunities he has had in the team coached by Charly Mulet: “I’ve played much more than I expected. I’ve played at a good level. It’s true that we haven’t been able to fight for the league, but we haven’t had a bad season either.”
As for his best moment of the season, Bou points to the goal he scored in the win against Alzira: “It was special here at the Mini Estadi. In general, I’ve tried to make the most of the minutes and the confidence that the head coach has given me. I’m a player who tries to adapt to the needs of the team.”
Looking ahead to next season, the youth player is optimistic and very excited: “We have a very good generation coming through. I think we will have a very competitive and solid team for next year.”
The chance to train with his idols
Over the course of the season, Teo Bou has trained several times with the first team, something that excites all the youth players: “I’ve trained three or four times with the first team. The first time was last year. At the beginning, it was very demanding. I always go to La Cerámica to cheer them on and it’s strange to be training with top players who are representing the team you support
“Furthermore, his friends from outside football joke about it: “When we are at the stadium they joke with me. They tell me that I am friends with the first team players. Those who like football, they find it interesting that I get to train with them. They know how difficult it is. Some of them have even tried.”
During the current campaign, he has also trained several times with Villarreal B: “It’s similar. It means training with professional people. You have to give your best. Miguel Álvarez is also a very approachable head coach who takes great care of us. I hope to be able to make it to the B team in a few years’ time. Although there’s still a long way to go.”
Born a Yellow
The player from Vila-real has played for the Yellow Submarine for 14 seasons. A whole life in yellow that he would like to end by one day making his debut with the first team in the First Division: “That’s my dream. I’m very much a Villarreal CF fan. My whole family is. They have instilled this feeling in me. It’s the team of my life and of my people. It’s very complicated to achieve it, but I don’t think about it too much. I focus on working day by day and enjoying this season and thinking about next season.”
If football doesn’t give him the chance to succeed, Teo Bou confesses that he would like to stay linked, in some way, to Villarreal: “Yes, I would like to work here, either as an administrator or as part of the coaching team. I’m thinking about studying something related to sport in the future. I have friends who are here coaching youth football at the club and they are very happy.” Teo is clear: he wants to succeed in yellow. On the pitch, in the dugout or in the office. But to do it linked to the club he loves: Villarreal CF.
