Kevin Sambonino – Guayaquil City’s two-way midfield prospect

Ecuador is currently immersed in one of the most intriguing youth development programmes which was led by Independiente Del Valle but a few other clubs across the country are following suit such as LDU Quito and now Guayaquil City are bringing through talent in their academy. Ecuadorian clubs are doing better in continental competition while the Ecuadorian National Team had a strong start to their World Cup qualifying campaign as they will be spoilt for choice in most positions going forward. One of those positions is in midfield where they have a plethora of talented young midfielders as 21-year-old, Kevin Sambonino is the next off the production line as he is an intriguing two-way midfielder with the essential tools to develop as a high-level footballer.

The 21-year-old is lanky and long limbed as a domineering midfield presence as defensively, he can make challenges but thrives with his positioning and mobility. Sambonino is very quick and astute in covering positions in the opposition defensive shape, shuttling across to close passing lanes and angles while also being able to stretch to make interceptions and tackles to regain possession for his side. In the possession phase, he can receive possession in the six-space to shield the ball and turn out of pressure as he is a strong one-touch passer as when he has the options or identifies the spaces, he can play fantastic line-breaking passes and through balls to instigate attacking moves or be a crucial conduit in creating goalscoring opportunities in midfield. His vision for passes in between the lines and in the channels is excellent as he is set to become one of the leading midfield presences in Ecuador.

Away to Universidad Catolica, the young midfielder used his superb reading of the game as an opposition midfielder received possession as the stocky 21-year-old midfield presence moved to close him down as he stretched his long leg to intercept a pass and allow his team to burst forward on the counter-attack. Sambonino would then make another brilliant interception, this time in his own half as the opposition had his team hemmed in front of their own box as the 21-year-old stretched his leg again to make a second interception to regain possession and lead his team on a counter-attack again. His ability to almost comfortably regain possession in crucial situations for side in a tidy manner allowing his side to counter at pace with his immense reading of the game is one of the things that make Sambonino a special player to watch at the early stages of his career.

Sambonino would then have the ability to show some of the more aesthetically pleasing facets of his game while in possession as he made a simple unmarking movement in the deeper areas of midfield to side-step into space before receiving possession, swivelling and threading a brilliant ball into the channels. Sambonino is a phenomenal two-way prospect not only because of his ability to regain possession but also because of his ability to drive the ball into space as well as play penetrative passes to teammates to instigate counter-attacking moves. After a deflection of a cross into his box, Sambonino received possession on the edge of his own box to calmly lob a pass into the channels for an attacker to burst forward.

Sambonino is not only intelligent in the way he distributes possession, but he is also a very good dribbler able to drive the ball forward side-step markers with rapid changes of direction as well as holding markers off the ball and being able to swivel past them as he is quite comfortable in receiving possession in tight spaces. He received possession in the eight space to swivel as an opposition midfielder was pushing up to engage him as the 21-year-old calmly side-stepped him and left him floundering while the Ecuadorian midfield talent played a ball in between the lines to a teammate and continued his run forward. He would receive possession after a turnover again and steer his side forward on the break before swivelling to thread a pass to the left flank for his teammate to drive the ball deep into the opposition half. In the possession phase, Sambonino also possesses the ability to roll perfectly weighted passes in between the lines with pinpoint accuracy as he received possession in the six-space to roll a pass into a teammate in between the lines that beat the outstretched leg of an opposition midfielder.

Sambonino’s range of passing, especially with short- and long-range passing is equally as impressive as the other aspects of his game as he received possession in the six-space before pinging an accurate pass to a teammate on the right flank to instigate an attacking move on that flank. In the opposition half, he also has the ability to be creative with his passing, playing delicate through balls to runners in the channels as well as through balls to teammates in the box. He received possession to work a pass into the wide areas before receiving possession again to thread a pass four opposition defenders and into a teammate in the box who took a touch and had a shot blocked. All Sambonino’s graft in the opposition box would lead to an assist when he received possession with his back to goal with a man pushing up to press him as he swivelled past pressure to turn and thread a phenomenal through ball to an attacker in the channels to drive into the box and slot home for what proved to be the equalizing goal.

Away to Manta FC, Sambonino would receive possession in the midfield line to drive into the opposition half before turning away from a challenge and gesturing for a teammate to move into space to receive possession before he eventually swivelled and threaded a line-breaking pass into the ball-far left half-space to instigate an attacking move. The 21-year-old would then gesture to receive a pass in the six-space before driving the ball forward and lobbing a wonderful ball forward into an attacker making a run in behind for an attacker who would receive possession in the opposition box to work a pass into the wide areas for a teammate who would have a cross blocked. Sambonino was positioned perfectly to show his fantastic defensive capabilities, as his right centre-back pushed up to make a challenge on an attacker as Sambonino used perfect scanning to cover for his out of position centre-back as the opposition lofted a pass into that area for the 21-year-old midfielder to execute an acrobatic bicycle-kick clearance.

The 21-year-old would drive the ball forward and thread another fantastic through ball in between the lines as despite his imposing stature, he is nimble enough to swivel and play through balls in between the lines or switch the ball to the weak side just by flicking his hips. Sambonino would then control a turnover in the six-space to side-step past a marker and drive the ball forward I between two opposition attackers to play a pass to the wide areas. He then received possession in the six-space to push the ball forward and angle an accurately lobbed pass into the channels for an attacker to have a 1v1 opportunity against the opposition fullback. The 21-year-old then used his physique and quick feet to expertly draw a foul in the opposition half as he received possession in between two opposition attackers as he received possession to roll the ball behind his back past one marker before flicking the ball forward away from another marker to earn a foul and a free-kick.

At home to Olmedo, Sambonino received possession and threaded a pass in between the lines. His progressive passing was excellent as he was just playing perfectly weighted one-touch passes in between the lines before he made a perfectly timed sliding challenge to win a 50/50 tackle as he then rolled a lovely pass in between the lines to the ten space. The 21-year-old would then receive possession to drive the ball forward and lob a lovely pass in behind for an attacker to receive possession in the box to be brought down before he won a penalty. Sambonino is very strong physically as he won possession near the touchline as he rarely shirks a challenge in midfield while also being mobile enough to close down spaces in the defensive block as he made a mistake to barge an opponent over and concede a foul. After his side lost possession, he covered space to regain possession before he shuttled across the defensive block to cover a passing lane.

The 21-year-old is a brilliant two-way player as he possesses brilliant mobility and strength to win possession defensively while in possession, he played a lovely pass into the channels for a cross that resulted in a high-quality shot on goal for his side before rolling another fantastic ball in between the lines. Sambonino would then roll another pass into the box for an opportunity to be saved before receiving possession on the edge of the box to fake a shot and lob a pass into the box for a teammate who was unable to get a shot away. The Ecuadorian would then win possession and play a back-pass before receiving possession again in a tight space to swivel and play a forward pass.

Sambonino is a two-way player capable of being an effective and high-level operator at both ends of the pitch as a high-level defender in his own half as well as a creative force in the opposition half. His mobility, energy and intelligence defensively allow him to regain possession through interceptions as well as winning physical battles in midfield as he has the physique to win gruelling challenges. His dribbling and ability to use his body to hold possession could make him a high-level ball-carrier driving the ball forward while his distribution allow him to move the ball into space effectively. As a distributor, Sambonino is effective when he is behind play with options to move the ball into as he can stretch the pitch with switch balls or lobs in behind as well as picking apart the opposition by playing brilliantly weighted line-breaking passes into teammates. In the opposition half, his vision for playing the ball into runners in the channels while also having the creative mind to thread passes into teammates in the box to create shooting opportunities is one of the facets of his game that make him such an intriguing young midfielder.

He will need to learn to hold possession and draw fouls when he receives possession in the six-space as he in some situations, he can lose possession as he is culpable for being slow in possession in certain periods of the game. In other periods of the game, despite his strong positioning, he can get frustrated when he is beaten with a dribble and barge an opposition attacker over instead working to get in a position to make a tackle instead of conceding the foul. The 21-year-old’s future probably lies as a high-level box-to-box midfielder, surging back and forth to win possession while using his vision to create opportunities for his teammates in the opposition half. Playing him predominantly as a defensive-midfielder will limit his distribution and creativity in the final third as he does have the mobility and defensive intelligence to play this position.

Sambonino has the potential to be a low cost and high value acquisition, especially for a club in the MLS as this would represent an opportunity for him to develop and earn a callup up to the Ecuadorian National Team. Clubs in the mid to lower tier of the Portuguese Primera Liga should also be interested as he would thrive in Portugal while accruing resale value in a short space of time. Sambonino should also have suitors in the Belgian Primera Liga as well as the Spanish Segunda Liga where he can utilize his time in a developmental league to get adjusted to a higher pace of a game before progressing into one of the top European leagues. He would also be an exceptional piece of business for a football group such as the Red Bull or City group where he could develop at their MLS affiliates as well as the Boavista-Bordeaux partnership where he could develop in Portugal before moving to France. He should be a highly regarded prospect in the next two transfer windows at only 21-years-old.