Maksim Paskotši is a member of the Estonian A-team for the first time. The central defender, who is scoring goals every day in Tottenham Hotspur, admitted that the invitation was very unexpected for him and he realizes that under normal circumstances it probably wouldn't have come yet.
Paskocsi, who grew up in Lasnamäe, Tallinn, can become the owner of one record in the Estonian football team during the March window. So far, Mattias Käit, who was 18 years old, 3 months and 8 days old, scored against Gibraltar in October 2016, has scored as the youngest team member in the qualifying game. If Pascoch, who had been hit hard in the English youth league, had to find a goal net in a match in March, he would have hit the top mark from Käid about a month younger.
The former captain of the U17 team, who joined the A-team for the first time, replaces Markkus Seppik in the team. "It was very unexpected, but I can't say I wasn't ready for it. It's a very big dream come true. Given the situation in the world right now, I can say I'm lucky. I'm not happy that others were hit with Corona but it was good for me, " he tells Soccernet.ee.
Pascoch, who was a member of FC Flora's representative team until last summer, did not go to the Premium League, but he could smell that level in the cup games. He is very grateful to his teammates for the days of Flora and named Konstantin Vassiljev, who is experienced and can be included in the team.
"When I got to Flora, there was no attitude that 'who this young boy is, we won't talk to him.' All the players helped me a lot and so did Kostya. His experience and leadership skills definitely helped me become the player I am now. He did a lot for me, it's hard to point out anything specific, but he insisted that when I am young, I have to work hard and my time will come. I must not think I am a superstar. He taught me to behave. . "
As the current Spurs player, the environmental change for the defender moving from Flora to England was not even as great as might be expected. "There are small nuances where the clubs are different, but overall I can't say that Floras has been a bad workload. Tottenham just has very experienced coaches and their work is a bit on a different level. In Tottenham, coaches can give examples of their careers. Every step emphasizes how important something is. "
On a daily basis, Pascoch lives with a local family in London, for whom the club pays. He doesn't have to go to school because: "School takes place in my room! I do everything online . On Mondays and Thursdays there are trainings later and I study in the morning. Every other day I do school work in my free time."
Paskoch adds that he is principled and takes school work seriously. "If I start something before a workout, I definitely want to finish it so that it doesn't stick in my head."
Pascoch has merged with Tottenham's U18 team in an exemplary manner. In the league of his own age, he has scored five goals in 14 games, which is an impressive balance for the central defender. Although the young boy from Tallinn has not spoken to Jose Mourinho, the well-known head coach of the representative team, he thinks that the Portuguese probably still knows him. "If you do a lot of work and play well, it's not possible that they (RV coaches) won't notice you," he says.
Pascoch's opinion is also confirmed by the facts, because two young men in the U18 age group are already training stably with the representative team and have even been invited to the games. "Some people train at the mission during the team break. If someone is needed to attack or defend there one day, they will be brought from us. Unfortunately, I haven't been invited yet, but I'm working hard for that."
In Tottenham, Mourinho is not doing best, as he lost 0: 3 to Zagreb Dynamo in the European League on Thursday and was eliminated from the competition. In the home league, you will find yourself in the sixth row of the table. Pascoch confirms that they are not directly affected by the work of the representative team. "We have our league and we think about our results. We have hard training and we continue to work!"
And Pascoch's work ethic is beyond doubt, at least in words. The midfielder is already thinking about next season, where he plans to be a Tottenham U23 player. This is the same level where the front goalkeeper of the Estonian team Karl Jakob Hein Woolwich is currently playing: "I will do my best to be a U23 player and, if possible, train with the representative team."
What does it mean to Pascoch that he "does everything"? "I'm trying to work harder than others. I'm really doing my best and I'm doing something extra. I'm very happy I haven't had any major injuries. I can't say I wasn't injured at all, but they didn't bother me."
