Six Questions: Theodor Corbeanu of Wolverhampton Wanderers
Theodor Corbeanu is a talented winger from the Wolverhampton Wanderers academy, who has had a very good season at Youth level with Wolves.
The 18-year-old who joined the club in August 2018 from the Toronto FC Academy ended the U18 Premier League season with 4 goals and an assist to his name in 14 appearances.
During this time, he made his PL2 debut for the club.
The Canadian attacker also holds Romanian citizenship and has represented Romania at Youth level.
He is a technically gifted player and is blessed with lots of pace.
Here, Theo talks about the hardest opponents he has come across and the coaches who have played a vital role in his development so far, among other things.
Via Tackle.ro/Vlad Bogus
Growing up, who were your role models in the footballing world?
Growing up, my idols would definitely have to be Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Kaká.
I was always fascinated by what they were able to do on the pitch, especially Ronaldo.
I liked his style in general and tried to mirror it, even his freekick stance.
[I can imagine that as a young attacker you would have come up against some tough and talented defenders already]
Are there any particular opponents who gave you a hard time?
The hardest defender from Wolves that I’ve come against is Willy Boly in first team training, he is an absolute beast.
However, the hardest defender I’ve come against in-game is Brandon Williams from Manchester United.
[You've had the honour of representing Romania at youth level]
What is it about wearing the national team jersey that you think makes it so special?
Representing Romania at the youth level was a great honour for me and putting on that shirt is always very special.
The way I see it, whenever you put on the jersey of your national team you are representing an entire country and you must do them proud.
So, for me, it is automatically a responsibility to give my all and to be able to help the team in every way that I can.
It was a great experience playing with them, I was able to see the level of players from around the globe for my age.
It was a great way for me to observe the true level that I’m at and how much I need to work and train in order for me to be able to be better than all these top players who I came against.
How would you describe your time at the Toronto FC academy?
Are there any particular things or valuable life lessons that you learn there which you think helped you grow as an individual?
My time at Toronto FC was great.
I was able to make massive progress as a player and person.
One of the biggest lessons I learned with them was to be patient.
In my first full year with them in 2017, we went to a tournament in Mexico where it was a mixture of top U17 teams from the MLS and LigaMX.
I was taken with the older boys and was in the starting team which was great for me at the time.
However, the tournament didn’t go so well for me and it brought me down a lot on a psychological level.
This tournament was my time to shine and progress through the age groups with the ultimate goal of getting to the first team.
After the tournament, I was bumped down back to my own age group and was not picked for the Generation Adidas Cup which was just a few weeks after it.
Even though this was hard for me at the time, I now look back on it as a great lesson and learning experience.
During this time, I had it in my mind that I would work even harder and make sure that I get promoted back to the older age group again.
Over a month after the tournament in Mexico, I made my debut for Romania against Ireland, scoring 2 goals in a 2-1 win.
This experience taught me that patience is extremely key along with the ability to continue working and staying focused when things are not going your way.
Are there any coaches or staff who have played a vital role in your career so far that you would like to thank?
I am grateful to have worked with many great coaches in my career so far.
However, special mentions would go out to Ron Davidson (my coach from 9 to 14 years of age at Givova Soccer Academy) and Benoit Cheyrou (my last coach at Toronto FC prior to departing for Wolves).
They understood me very well as a player and person and I was able to connect with them on and off the pitch.
Ron and Benoit were special to me because they let me play my game freely and encouraged me at all times.
They were coaches who I was able to have a great relationship with, and at a young age I think this is very important for a player.
However, I would like to thank all my coaches that I have worked with so far because each and every one of them played a role in developing me into the player I am today.
Amidst the ongoing pandemic, is there anything particular that you have been doing to stay fit and in shape in recent months?
Although I’m back with Wolves in full training now, I was able to maintain fitness and stay in good shape.
Wolves gave me a weekly training program, which included running, strength and technical sessions.
I worked every single day to ensure that I kept myself at a high physical level so that the return would be smooth for me.
Along with this, a couple of my friends and I would organize mini games which would involve a lot of 1v1 and 2v2 work.
I believe these types of drills are very important for a player in my position as you are constantly working on beating your opposition through skills in tight areas.
As time went on and the restrictions were eased, I was able to get even more players which made it more game realistic.
Closer to my return to the UK, I was working with a personal trainer 3 times a week in which we continued to follow the Wolves program along with some additional exercises which helped improve me in specific areas (a lot of stretching and mobility work to get rid of stiffness).