In an ongoing series we are highlighting the young players who are part of the JD Academy, the Irish Football Association’s elite development programme. Today Michael Mulholland is in the spotlight…
Name: Michael Mulholland
DOB: 17 January 2011
Position: Striker
Club: Crusaders
School: Campbell College, Belfast
Hometown: Belfast
Michael Mulholland and Harry Kane both love hitting the back of the net.
Kane is currently breaking all sorts of records with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, while he has also weighed in with tons of goals for England and previous club Tottenham Hotspur.
And Mulholland, who once scored an astonishing 256 goals in a single season at youth level, is an admirer.
“A player that I look up to is Harry Kane,” the young striker said. “He displays great intelligence and has top notch finishing ability, and he can also pick out a pass.”
Mulholland would love to become as prolific as Kane – and he would love to bag lots of goals for Northern Ireland.
He has already had a taste of the international stage at youth level.
The forward enjoyed captaining Northern Ireland’s U15s at a UEFA U15 development tournament in Bosnia and Herzegovina back in October.
He started all three matches in the four-team tournament, playing against the Bosnians (1-0 win), Slovenia (2-1 defeat) and Latvia (2-0 win). And the striker scored a brace in the victory against the Latvians.
Comparing playing for a club team and playing internationally with the JD Academy, Mulholland pointed out a stark difference between the two. “The biggest difference between playing for club and country is probably the intensity and pace of the game, which requires a high workrate,” he said.
Despite the difficulties of being in a rigorous programme at the academy, Mulholland is making the most of his opportunity.
“The workload and training every day are tough on your body and mind. But, since I got settled in, I have had a great experience,” he revealed.
And the striker added: “It means a lot to represent your country and know that they are providing you with the best possible chance to become a professional footballer.”
The 15-year-old, who is in the first of two years at the residential academy based at Campbell College, is keen to improve his game. Lately he has been working on his change of direction, focusing on explosive exercises to get sharper in this aspect.
Over the next 12 months Mulholland hopes to play for the Crusaders first team and perhaps sign for an academy at an English club, in addition to passing stage one of his GCSEs.
As for his ultimate professional goals, he wants to become one of the best strikers in the Premier League and to be a potent frontman for his country.
