Ryley Kemp, 9, and Cayden Kemp, 11 are tipped for soccer success.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Two soccer-mad Shepparton youngsters will follow in the footsteps of idol Cristiano Ronaldo — as they prepare to take part in a tournament in the superstar’s homeland.
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Kialla’s Ryley and Cayden Kemp are gearing up for the trip of a lifetime as they look ahead to taking to the field in Lisbon later this month.
The boys, who are nine and 11, respectively, will be hoping to fly the flag for Australia at the famous IberCup in Portugal in just over three weeks’ time.
It marks the culmination of an impressive rise for the Shepparton siblings, who are both on the books of the GV Suns.
In the case of budding midfielder Ryley, he represents the club’s academy, in addition to turning out for Shepparton United on other days.
Meanwhile, prospective winger Cayden trains with the GV Suns four times a week and is set to play for their Metro team in future months.
Mum Bryana explained how the opportunity to appear in Portugal first emerged.
“Originally, it was just a sponsored ad that kept coming up on my Facebook so I applied for [the boys],” she said.
“Eventually, I got a phone call a couple of weeks later from the people who run the [IberCup]. From there, they went through the process and got selected for the 10-day program.”
Heading to Europe from March 28 onwards, they will train and compete alongside some of the world’s standout emerging talents at what is arguably the most prestigious international youth tournament on the planet.
They are due to train for the first couple of days before the competition gets underway with 80,000 young players from over 50 countries due to attend.
Soccer giants Manchester United, Manchester City, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, AS Roma and Bayern Munich will all field line-ups at the tournament.
Leading Portuguese clubs Porto, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon will also compete at the event.
The participation of the latter will be of particular note for the Kemp brothers, with the Shepparton pair having made no secret of their admiration for the club’s most famous son - five-time Ballon d’Or victor Ronaldo.
Cayden Kemp, 11, and Ryley Kemp, 9 are going to fly the flag for Australia in Portugal
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
“Anything to do with Ronaldo, they know everything about. They are a little upset that he doesn’t play [in Lisbon] anymore,” Kemp said of the boys’ shared love of the superstar forward, who now plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Their mum also explained how the tragic loss of the boys’ sister Savannah, five, in a car accident two-and-a-half years ago meant that soccer has assumed an even more significant role in their young lives.
“Once they lost their little sister, soccer was there for them in terms of friends and groups. It was just something that was a very good grieving mechanism,” she said.
“It was very unexpected and a very big shock for the boys. It was very difficult for all of us and still is.
“Ryley, at the time, probably struggled the most - he and Savannah were separated by 18 months in age. The soccer was such a really good way for both of them to pour that excess energy and grief into something; keeping their minds busy and occupied.“
“The boys have thrown themselves into it. Once Savannah passed away, they would always say ‘every goal I score is for Savannah’.“
Ryley Kemp, 9, and Cayden Kemp, 11, are set for a European adventure.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
With Lisbon on the horizon, Bryana spoke of her hope that her two boys can launch professional careers in the game in the future — maybe even plying their trade in Europe someday.
“With my eldest, he definitely is en route,” she said.
“My youngest, Ryley, just lacks a bit of confidence but has a lot of skill. So giving him more time to get that confidence, as he is two years younger, it could definitely lead somewhere someday. They would love to do that!“
Generous members of the public have already donated over $3k to a GoFundMe page which is raising money for the Kemp brothers’ upcoming trip to IberCup in Lisbon. You can donate by following this link.
