These figures are usually accorded a certain high degree of veneration by thousands of youngsters who throng the football field to showcase their talents in front of the watching eyes of a usually silent agent who takes notes and then, if satisfied, speaks with the coaches and managers about a particular player and then plans are made for the next step in taking that player(s) to the next level while the agent flies out. Job done. 

But there's something different about top German football agent Dietmar Wendorff who has been in Benin City on a scouting trip since Tuesday. 

Mr Wendorff is a freelance scout for several big clubs in Europe and has his own football agency as well. 

His coming to Nigeria was facilitated by two young football club owners and players' intermediaries Harrison Okaka and Ferdinand Oji (Presidents of Dynamo Academica FC and Rocksters FC respectively. ) 

A mini tournament was put together magnanimously by the ambitious grassroots club owners at the university of Benin City sports complex in which six grassroots clubs (Dynamo Academica, Rockstars,  Chines Sports, Ine Stars, Fasa and Benin Warriors) participated in as players battled out in front of Herr Wendoff. 

The German was far from the typical silent agent who just sits in the stands and takes notes and whispers only small remarks to a very few number of close confidants. 

Mr Wendoff came across instantly as a very personable figure as he took time off at half time to speak with each team and offered good advice on how to play the game better. 

For the young players and their coaches, Mr Wendorff left no doubts about his knowledge of the game. He would tell the players at half time to relax and have the confidence to build from the back. He emphasized the importance of the passing game also. 

He harped on the need for players to be creative and try to do the easy things by picking the simple pass and also taught the teams, amongst other useful tips, how to open up spaces to receive a pass(and what distance there should be between players when creating passing angles.)

The German agent,  who has an impressive track record of managing many professional players in most of the top football leagues in the world today, gave his impression on the quality he saw from the players in Benin City. 

"I've seen some good movements and some good skills. I don't want to judge the players too early, but everyone seems under pressure because they know I'm here to scout them and to try to bring them to Europe. I work as a freelance scout for several clubs and I have my own agency as well.  It's not everytime you scout that one big Super talent and take them directly to Europe. It's a step by step process and it's hard work for everybody,"Wendorff smiled. 

One of the grassroots coaches opined: "I've never seen such an agent who cared to help us improve our game before. He's not just an agent, Mr Wendorff is a teacher as well."

Even though it was obvious that most players may not have met his requirements for immediate signing into his Worldwide Management Network, Mr Wendorff cares enough about their long term development. 

"Football is a long term project. When you have players who are 15 or 16 it's important to stand by them and grow with them. And I have tried to speak with the coaches and club owners of these clubs about how to help the youngsters grow and hopefully in a few months time I will come back and they will be more ready, " Wendorff added. 

After each match, many players and coaches requested for photos with Wendorff and he happily obliged everyone and takes time to speak individually with players and coaches. 

One youngster of one of the clubs says he has been motivated by meeting Wendorff. "This is the first time I'm speaking directly with a foreign agent. Just hearing him talk and offer advice has really inspired me to want to work harder. He's more like a teacher or coach than a football scout. Europe may not exactly be near, but working hard, based on what I've learned from Mr Wendorff hopefully will bring me closer to seeing my dreams of playing in Europe come true quickly, "he enthused. 

Talking about learning, 'teacher' Wendorff says he's still learning. "We learn everyday. This trip here has given me the chance to learn some more. Of course, I'm still learning and I'm 46," Mr Wendorff smiled.