Wellington Phoenix have graduated New Zealand age-grade international Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues into the first team, signing the academy star to a three-year deal through the 2026/27 A-League season.
Sloane-Rodrigues, 16, recently became the youngest Phoenix player to play in the A-League, when he made his debut in the 1-0 loss to Melbourne City on March 9.
The NZ U17 international played his junior football for East Coast Bays AFC and Auckland United FC, before joining the Wellington Phoenix Academy in 2022, and could have been a target for the new Auckland FC A-League expansion team.
However, the young winger will officially stay in the capital, after putting pen to paper on his first pro contract three months before his 17th birthday.
"It's been a big dream of mine since I joined the academy," said Sloane-Rodrigues. "I didn't think it would come this quickly.
"I'm obviously over the moon about it."
Sloane-Rodrigues will become the seventh player to graduate from the academy into the first team since Giancarlo Italiano became head coach, again showing his intention to grow players through the club.
"It's difficult for a coach to have that much faith in young players, but it's been working," said Sloane-Rodrigues "He trusts his young players and it makes us more confident.
"He always tells me he doesn't care if I make mistakes, as long as I keep working hard and don't put my head down."
Born in Hong Kong, Sloane-Rodrigues started training with Wellington’s first team during pre-season, after Italiano spotted him playing for the Phoenix thirds in the Capital Premier League.
The first-year head coach was impressed with the young player and immediately started planning to move him up the ranks.
"I felt as though he had a little bit of x-factor about him," said Italiano. "He was doing things different to what the other players were.
"He was taking on players, dribbling, switching the ball on the run, and I just felt like he had a point of difference and I liked it.
"When he first came into training, he showed the same thing I saw in the game, so that gave me a lot of confidence."
Italiano believes the step up to professional football will be "a big jump" for Sloane-Rodrigues, but he has the "potential to be a real point of difference".
"He needs time, but after two years in this environment, he'll be flying. I would like to see him build gametime next season... a bit like how Oskar van Hattum has progressed this season.
"I see that sort of trajectory for him. Once he scores and he gets a bit of belief, I think he can do really well.
"I also want to see him make the next national team for his age group."
Sloane-Rodrigues is the 17th player Wellington have signed through to the 2024/25 A-League season and beyond.
Wellington are currently in the midst of their most successful season in club history. With two rounds remaining, they have locked in their first top-two regular season finish and are well in the race for the Premiers Plate, tied with current leaders Central Coast Mariners.
Wellington travel across the Tasman to take on 10th-placed Newcastle Jets on Friday.
