England’s U20 side tasted World Cup glory on Sunday, with Gareth Southgate’s senior squad among those to salute the achievement.
Paul Simpson guided his team to a first FIFA prize for the Three Lions since 1966, with Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting the only goal of the game against Venezuela.
Solanke wins World Cup Golden Ball
England did not have things all their own way in a tight encounter, with Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman required to save a late penalty.
They were, however, able to get over the line and lay down a marker to their senior colleagues who were among the interested onlookers a day on from their 2018 World Cup qualifying draw with Scotland.
Well done, #YoungLions! pic.twitter.com/iCKdDcroyZ
— England (@England) June 11, 2017
A number of those to have lifted the World Cup in South Korea will be hoping to step up through the age ranks in the years to come.
Dominic Solanke took the Golden Ball prize, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba, and he will be on Liverpool’s books next season.
Lewis Cook, meanwhile, skippered the side to victory and will be looking to get regular minutes at Bournemouth in 2017-18 after enduring an injury-ravaged debut season with the club.
Southgate will be keeping a close eye on their progress, with his side aiming to emulate the achievements of the Young Lions in Russia next summer.