As the England Under-17 squad have settled into their surroundings in Indonesia this week, they’ll have noticed a bit more activity around the setting, and not just because their World Cup starts on Friday. It is more that this is where football’s future is, which also shows how the game has evolved. So many scouts and club officials have travelled to see the world’s next greats. That future comes around much more quickly now.
It used to be that the Under-20 World Cup held this status. That was where Lionel Messi first stood out. These days, however, the pace of everything in football is much quicker. If anyone at the Under-20s is going to be elite, they’ll already be playing regularly. Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala would still be eligible, after all all. The average age of the game has lowered as the sport has tactically and scientifically evolved.
