Impressive Indeed!

- N. Sudarshan

There is not much historical evidence to suggest that a sizeable bunch of those who excel at the U-17 level eventually make it to the highest tiers of world football. Nonetheless, the teenagers impress to no lesser extent and during the course of the last month in India, the FIFA U-17 World Cup showcased a number of them. Here is a look at a few of the stars:

Phil Foden (England)

Before he arrived in India, one of Phil Foden’s biggest admirers was none other than Pep Guardiola. A graduate of the Manchester City academy, Foden was promoted to the senior City squad and even featured against arch-rival Manchester United during the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

On his return to England from India, with a World Cup winner’s medal and the Golden Ball (best player) award, he would have further embellished his credentials.

He played in all seven of England’s matches, scoring three goals — including two in the final against Spain — and making one assist.

Rhian Brewster (England)

After a slow start to the tournament, the Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster erupted towards the latter stages of theWorld Cup. England lost stalwart Jadon Sancho midway through the tournament as German giant Borussia Dortmund sought to recall him. But Brewster made sure England didn’t miss Sancho as he scored hat-tricks in both the quarterfinal and semifinal matches. His strike in the final was his eighth goal in the competition and he duly won the Golden Boot award given to the highest scorer.

Gabriel Brazao (Brazil)