SA teen signed by Chelsea FC for R17m
Meet Camden Schaper - South Africa’s football prodigy who’s lighting up the global pitch at just 13-years-old.
The youth of South Africa are making power moves all over the world, and nothing can stop them.
The newest addition to the list of heavyweights is Camden Schaper.
This young kid from Benoni is about to lace up for one of the biggest football clubs on the planet… Chelsea FC.
Yep, that Chelsea. Stamford Bridge. Blue army. Champions League trophies. The whole shebang.
Reports say the Premier League giants are ready to cough up a staggering £750,000 (around R17 million) to sign Camden. At 13.
This is the most expensive compensation fee ever paid for a 13-year old.
Before him, the highest was by Man City signing Finley Burns for £175K in 2017!
Some of us couldn’t even get R50 from our parents at that age without a whole PowerPoint presentation.
Although, Camden’s not new to this. He’s true to this.
Since his early start on the dusty fields of Benoni to global attention, he’s been dribbling his way into history books.
Back in 2021, he captained SuperSport United’s U11 side on an unbeaten Spanish tour.
Since then, his talent’s been like a viral football TikTok - impossible to ignore.
He did training stints with Sporting Lisbon and Manchester United (at just eight-years-old, mind you).
Even though COVID benched him for a while, Camden stayed match-fit and hungry for so much more.
In 2023, his family made the ultimate sacrifice by moving to the UK so he could chase his dream full-time.
This sacrifice quickly turned into an instant return on investment. At Blackburn Rovers, he’s been on absolute fire, netting 45 goals and 65 assists in a season.
I mean, c’mon… those are FIFA Career Mode numbers, and everybody noticed.
In 2024, Adidas Football signed him as a next generation athlete.
Pretty soon (naturally), the Premier League’s elite came knocking at his door. Man City, United, Arsenal, Liverpool. The whole top-six lineup wanted a piece.
What’s even cooler is Camden’s younger brother Astin is already training with City as a goalkeeper.
For Camden though, it looks like Chelsea won the transfer race. If all goes to plan, Camden will be joining their youth setup soon.
It’s a career-defining moment, not just for him but for every young South African kid kicking a ball around, dreaming of stadium lights and football glory.
ALSO READ: The SA youth that’s taking over the world
Camden’s story is proof that the beautiful game can take you anywhere.
Literally from a backyard in Benoni to a billion-pound football empire.
So if you’re wondering what to do next, the answer’s simple: lace up, dream big and shoot your shot.
Sometimes, it only takes one goal to win the entire game.
If you’re inspired, you can follow Camden’s journey on Instagram and TikTok.
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