Former Aldenham pupil is a Rising Star

Rising football star Charlie Patino left Aldenham in the summer.  Whilst at school Charlie excelled at sport and was a member of our twice winning ISFA teams. Sixteen year old Charlie went on to join Arsenal in order to pursue a career in his first love, football. He is already making a name for himself in the game and is now being closely watched by national media:

The Sun describes Charlie as “an outrageously talented player who has all the ingredients to become an Arsenal legend like Liam Brady”, according to Gunners insiders.

His talent was spotted when he was only 11 years old, in the same year that he joined Aldenham. Clubs like Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham were all interested in him, but he chose Arsenal in 2015. Charlie soon rose through the ranks of Arsenal’s youth sides, playing in a higher age group for both club and country. As a 14-year-old, he captained England in an U16 match against Spain and at the same age, also starred for Arsenal’s U18s against Chelsea. Last season, before the coronavirus pandemic halted youth football, he had become a permanent player with their the U18s.

The Guardian has identified him as one of the best young talents coming through from around the world. They describe him as “a generational talent who has consistently dominated games at age-group level both domestically and for England”. They forecast that he has every chance of going the distance. Arsenal Manager, Mikel Arteta, is a fan and Patino trained with the first team in September. A quick step up to under-23 level by the end of the season is anticipated. It might not be long before Patino gets a runout at the Emirates which would make him one of the youngest players to do so.

Everyone at Aldenham will be following Charlie’s career closely and we are all behind him, rooting for more success.  Good luck Charlie!

Charlie wearing an Aldenham shirt at the ISFA U15 win in 2018

Photos courtesy of Getty Images and RWT Photography