Daniel Cappellaro, known as D10, on his journey from Perth to FIFA Street, professional futsal in Spain and England, and the UEFA Futsal Cup.
Daniel did not touch a football until he was eight, on a family trip to Italy where his cousin played in Serie C. Back in Perth, he chose Armadale Soccer Club purely because they trained twice a week instead of once.
What followed was West Ham's Hammers Academy in Western Australia, a scholarship at John Curtin Soccer Excellence, and a pathway that barely existed. No A-League academies. State teams that appeared and disappeared. His references were Stan Lazaridis and Harry Kewell, recorded off The World Game onto VHS.
Then futsal found him at eleven, through a low bounce ball a coach had picked up from a guy in Leeds. It took him to Argentina, Spain, England, a Champions League campaign with a Scottish club, and eventually Melbourne, where he now coaches in the Melbourne City academy. Along the way he became one of sixteen unlockable characters in FIFA Street, played against Falcão and alongside Douglas Costa, and met Neymar in Brazil.
Part 1 is his journey as a player. Part 2 covers coaching: skill acquisition, the weak foot, and what Melbourne City's academy looks for.
