The Summer of 2017 – Raising the Bar In English Football History

Kolkata: When Enrique Caceres blew the final whistle in the summit clash of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the majestic cauldron that is the Salt Lake Stadium, history was scripted as England clinched their third World Cup crown ever after downing Spain 5-2 in what was an absolute humdinger of a contest.

Led by Joel Latibeaudiere who wore the captain’s armband as Angel Gomes sat on the substitute bench for a major part of the tournament, England had not only won their first U-17 World Cup, but also took another significant step in the direction of revamping the football culture in the national team set up.

Ahead of the final in Kolkata, Steve Cooper remarked with pride that his squad would rather deal with ‘the pressure of expectation winning than of that of fear of a defeat or failure.’

Post-match he pointed out that England had beaten Spain with their own game. He was visibly proud of not only the margin of victory but how the win had been achieved:

"Not one long ball - pass pass pass, get into good areas."

In 2017, the English youth teams have bagged two major titles, the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the FIFA U-20 World Cup by beating Venezuela in South Korea.