KOCHI: The boy who doesn't stutter while performing his duties is a man. This is one definition that comes along the information highway when one searches what differentiates a man from a boy.
A couple of days ago, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, there was one boy who was more keenly observed than others. In the absence of Brazil's Vinicius Junior, who missed the party due to club assignments, all eyes were on Abel Ruiz, the Spain skipper, who was tipped to become the de facto brand ambassador of the event. After all, the sport hinged heavily on the stardom of its protagonists.
Pitted against Brazil in the opener, barring the first 15 minutes, Spain played the second fiddle and Ruiz was a pale shadow of what was read, written and spoken about. He was uninspiring. Bogged down by the humidity and partially by his own misjudgment, the Barcelona youth star didn't make much of a difference in the outcome. Spain lost 1-2.
Against Niger, in a must-win match, Ruiz succeeded in regaining lost touch. He was fast — his characteristic trait — and more than anything, he terrorised the Niger defence with his penetrative runs. His first goal of the tournament revealed his poaching skills, the second one demanded more paeans. One must have sharp reflexes to cash in on a rebound. Ruiz exemplified that he had plenty of those, as he scored from a rebound. A terrific feat when one is swarmed by defenders.
No wonder, Spain coach Santiago Denia spoke highly of his trump card. “He has got all the skills of a top striker. His technique is good and so is his speed,” Denia said.
For the Spanish senior national squad, who often suffer from lack of options up front despite having a bevy of talented midfielders, Ruiz could just be welcome news. “He is already a name in age-group events. I think he will be an asset for the Spanish and Barcelona senior times in the near future,” the coach said.
Ruiz, who idolizes Spain striker Alvaro Morata and has equal admiration for Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, knows what's his forte. “I'm a player with good finishing, quite direct. I manage the ball well with my back to goal. I consider myself a complete forward,” he was quoted as saying by a website.
In the coming days, we might get to see more of Ruiz and find whether he has fine-tuned some of his glitches, including heading.
A better reading of the player came from one of the Niger support staff. “He was good. Made all the difference,” they said.
Maybe in the coming days, we might just witness a boy evolving into a man.