A football-daft Dumfries youngster will star at an international football event being staged by Italian giants Juventus next month.
Twelve-year-old Alexander Learmont has been selected to take part in the Youth World Cup tournament being hosted by the Serie A club.
After taking part in a Juventus Youth Academy football camp in Glasgow at Easter last year, he was then invited by coaches to join the tournament in Turin from June 12-16.
The Laurieknowe P7 pupil will be involved in the opening and closing ceremony at the Allianz Stadium – home of Juventus FC – and will show off his football skills in a series of matches at other football grounds.
Dad Craig said: “Alexander’s been selected for the 2011 age group squad and is obviously really excited about it all.
“It’s a brilliant opportunity that he really can’t miss, so I’ll be heading out to Turin with him. It’ll be a week he won’t forget.”
Youngsters from all over the world, including places such as Kuwait, Chile, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia, have also been handpicked by Juventus youth academy coaches.
Meanwhile, Alexander will be flying the flag for Dumfries as he lines up alongside them in the special football tourney.
The flights are booked and both Craig and Alexander are right up for the cup.
They leave Edinburgh Airport on Monday, June 12 and head straight to Turin.
Following the opening ceremony at the Allianz Stadium, Alexander’s tournament matches move to Bardonecchia, Oulx and Susa, which are small Turin towns in the foothills of the Alps.
The final will be held at the club’s first team training centre in Continassa.
One of the biggest clubs in world football, Juventus have won the Italian Serie A league title 36 times and the European Cup/Champions League twice.
The club’s fan base is the largest in Italy – and one of the largest worldwide. Some of the world’s greatest players have pulled on the black and white striped Juventus strip, including Michele Platini, Roberto Baggio, Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
To develop his skills even further, Alexander also does specialised goalie training with DG Keepers every Wednesday night.
