Dreams come true. Futsal star to play for Auckland at the Club World Cup
One of the most modest clubs at the Club World Cup will be New Zealand's Auckland. Despite being considered the strongest team in Oceania, they operate on an amateur basis.
One of Auckland's standout players is Dylan Manickum, a midfielder whom The Athletic named among the 50 players to watch at the tournament. By day, he works as an engineering assistant on a construction site, and in his spare time, he enjoys modeling. But the main focus of his sporting life is futsal.
Manickum is the record holder for appearances and the captain of New Zealand's national futsal team. He also coaches the youth squad, and football comes second to futsal for him. As he admitted in an interview with New Zealand outlet Friends of Football, sometimes he even has to choose futsal over football, especially during crucial moments. However, participating in the Club World Cup is an exception.
Remarkably, some Auckland players had to take unpaid leave from their jobs to travel to the tournament in the USA. Today, they will face Bayern Munich. Kick-off is scheduled for 18:00 Central European Time.
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
