Chido Obi-Martin is a NEW ARSENAL STAR in the MAKING
Scoring 10 goals against Liverpool in a single game? Sounds like an ILLEGAL task that no one can do... except Chidozie Obi-Martin! This Arsenal youth starboy is delivering 5-6 goals per week for fun and is training under a special program which transforms him into an unreal beast! It's time to invest in Chido Obi stock, and here's why!
Chido Obi's spectacular season
After watching Chidozie Obi-Martin perform this season as part of Arsenal's U18 squad, we are not sure if he is a human at all! Four goals vs. Crystal Palace, a poker vs Fulham, a penta-trick vs West Ham, seven goals vs. Norwich, a hat-trick against Chelsea - and that was just a small part of what Chidozi Obi is bringing to the table!
In the current Premier League U18 campaign, the Arsenal forward has already racked up 32 goals and 3 assists in 18 appearances! This is just insane! Moreover, after three goals against Chelsea, Obi set a new Arsenal record for the most goals in a single season for the U18 team.
To mark the feat, Chido received a special shirt with the number 32 on the back and the inscription “record breaker”. Remember his name!
In fact, the boy first made his presence felt a year ago, when he was just 15. He was playing for the U16 side and bagged TEN GOALS in 90 minutes against Liverpool! The Gunners won 14:3!
Since that day, Obi hasn't stopped and is still smashing his opponents as if he were playing FIFA at the beginner level! Well, here comes the hilarious part: although the young man is already making a huge impact at Arsenal and making their fans go crazy, he still hasn't finished school and rushes to do his homework right after training sessions!
But what's really impressive are the things Obi-Martin does during these training sessions! His work behind the scenes is even more fascinating than his endless goals!
Chido Obi's “Special Program”
In order to support and develop Chido's potential, Arsenal coaches have created a special program that is meant to promote their diamond to the main roster as soon as possible.
In an interview with The Athletic, under-21s coach Mehmet Ali revealed how Arsenal have structured Obi-Martin's schedule in a special way so as to give him the fullest possible experience of playing and being challenged at different youth levels. The idea is that the promising striker gets to try out almost all age groups - under-17s, under-18s, under-19s and under-21s - in just one season.
Coach Ali explains: “The reason we have a mixed program is because we want Chido to have joy, confidence and success and find it easy at times, but also be challenged at others.
You do get early developers who shine when they're in their own age group and then, when everyone catches them up physically or they play against someone bigger and stronger, they have no other coping strategy to survive in those moments.
By giving players who are early developers a mixed program, it really does support their growth.”
Luckily, Chidozi has matured beyond his years and he doesn't need his coaches to point out every next step. On the contrary, Obi arranges additional sessions for himself at the training ground, which the staff usually doesn't even expect from him!
The Athletic article reads: “There is an understanding from Martin Obi that talent alone will not determine his future. He often does extra training on his own at Arsenal while balancing his studies. This month, for example, he will travel to the European Under-17 Championships in Cyprus with Denmark while also studying for his GCSE exams in the summer. Part of a big family, he wants to be an example for his younger brother,” the article notes.
Chido trains both in the gym and on the pitch. The young Arsenal talent successfully alternates strength exercises, as well as cardio and stamina work, with pumping his main game skills - control, dribbling, shooting, heading, darting and everything else!
The fruits of his hard work become immediately apparent during his performances! Being 188 centimeters(6ft 2.02in) tall, Obi-Martin is a major aerial threat, but at the same time he flawlessly moves without the ball, demonstrating game intelligence, determination, timely reaction in the penalty area as well as killer instinct in front of the goal.
Chido is equally good with his left and right feet, not to mention how brilliantly he carries the ball and finds spaces in the final third with his outstanding speed and coordination. And with his physique, the Arsenal striker is able to reliably put his body in front of defenders and hold the ball with his back to the goal for his teammates to join the attacking attempt.
Obi knows exactly what to do when there are a lot of available gaps, while he is equally quick to find his way around in tight spaces. No wonder why Chidozi shines not only in a game system that relies on ball possession, but also in one that is designed for high-speed counterattacks.