Claudio Pizarro had an important time in German football. The former Peruvian striker played for renowned German clubs such as Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen. In this last squad he became a reference and was an inspiration to many young footballers. One of them is Josh Sargent, who considered the “Predator” his “father.”
Both shared a locker room at the Lizards. According to Sargent himself, Pizarro gave him several football lessons during this time, which contributed to his game. That's why we're telling you what happened to the young talent from the USA after playing alongside the former national soccer player.
Why is Josh Sargent known as Claudio Pizarro's “son”?
Josh Sargent was born in Missouri. During his youth he excelled as an athlete. As a result, he was called up to the North American country's youth teams. He later trained with foreign clubs such as PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Schalke 04 in Germany, but did not sign with any of them.
He gained his first experience in professional football at Werder Bremen, where Claudio Pizarro also played. The German team hired Sargent when he was only 18 years old. As one of the youngest in the squad, Pizarro helped him integrate into the team. This is what the American star said to the press, according to the official website Bundesliga.
Claudio Pizarro and Josh Sargent played together at Werder Bremen. Photo: Werder Bremen
“Claudio Pizarro is like a father to me, but not strict, he is relaxed. “He teaches me what I can do to play smart, how I should position my body to finish and much more,” Sargent said. He also noted that he learned to think quickly on the field from Pizarro. “The most important thing is speed of thinking and your advice helps me improve that,” he explained.
The Peruvian, in turn, showered the German attacker with praise after his professional debut. “I told Josh he has to keep it up. When you score goals, you gain self-confidence and if you also have quality, more and more goals will be scored. “So Josh just has to keep doing what he’s doing and he’ll do it well,” the “Bomber” explained.
What happened to Josh Sargent, Claudio Pizarro's “son”?
Sargent stayed at Werder Bremen until August 2021. He then moved to the ranks of Norwich City in the English Premier League. Due to his good performances in the English team, he was recently able to extend his contract until 2028, according to information from the Transfermarkt portal.
Josh Sargent is 23 years old and plays for Norwich City in England. Photo: AFP
At just 23 years old, he had already been called up to the United States national team several times. First he did it with the U17 and U20 categories. He then made his debut for the senior national team in 2018.
Although he didn't make many appearances with the North American team, he took advantage of the minutes on the field. He even scored a goal against Peru in a 2018 friendly match. He also represented the United States at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he played three games.