The future of English football is bright, with the men's under-21s lifting the European Championship for the first time in 39 years on Saturday.
The victory was heavily reliant on Manchester City, too, with Cole Palmer's free-kick deflected into the back of the net by Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones for the only goal of the final win over Spain. Blues goalkeeper James Trafford then became the hero as he made a brilliant penalty save before following up to stop the rebound in the 98th minute of the game.
That allowed City defender and England captain Taylor Harwood-Bellis to lift the trophy, having helped the Young Lions to six successive clean sheets throughout the tournament, while another City midfielder, Tommy Doyle, was part of the supporting cast who came off the bench to help Lee Carsley's youngsters through their campaign.
With former City defender and coach Joleon Lescott among Carsley's coaching staff, and with no side having more representatives than City's four players, it's fair for the Blues to be feeling proud of their efforts in helping England to another youth title. In another world, they could have had even more of an impact on the triumph, too.
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With four players in the squad, City had double the next nearest clubs in terms of representatives for the under-21s. Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Everton had two players each, while Arsenal, Tottenham and ten other teams provided one. Manchester United had no players at all.
It was a surprise that only four City players were called up, too. Rico Lewis was given a summer off after a first season of senior football with City, with the 18-year-old eligible for the tournament's next edition in 2025. James McAtee - who impressed at Sheffield United alongside Doyle last season - was also involved in the qualification stage, but was not included in a high-quality midfield for the tournament in Georgia and Romania.
It's easy, too, to forget that Phil Foden was also still eligible to play, despite turning 23 in May, as the age cut-off took into account a players' age during qualification. Foden has 25 senior caps and has played at the World Cup, but could have dropped down to help the under-21s had he been asked.
Pep Guardiola might have had an opinion on that, and it's rare that fully-fledged internationals do drop down, but the fact that Foden is a City academy graduate currently playing a key role for the English senior team, along with the four players who are now U21 European Champions, is another solid reflection of City's youth strategy.
Not only were the City contingent a key part of the squad, but Harwood-Bellis was their captain, Trafford was the heroic goalkeeper, and Palmer contributed a goal and three assists for the four goals scored in the semi-final and final. After the season Lewis had, and taking into account England's lack of two proper full-backs, it's easy to see how he would have fit into the under-21 side had he been picked.
McAtee was a promotion-winning midfielder in the Championship last season, with most of the England squad operating on the fringes of Premier League sides or playing regularly in the second tier. While he may feel unlucky not to be picked, the fact he wasn't reflects the strength in depth of talent available to City (and England). It's no shame to be overlooked by players trusted by Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal, plus Nottingham Forest's £40m midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White.
England have now won trophies at under-17, under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 level in recent years, all helped by significant contributions from City players. The Blues are not the only academy producing talent for England, of course, but the fact that the latest triumph had a distinct City contribution equally speaks volumes of the quality of young English players coming through the doors at the City Football Academy.
If players like Lewis and McAtee can't even get in the squad, and with Foden still eligible, the future is bright for club and country.
