An English Victory over a Spanish team is always a topic of discussion. But when the victory is in an important tournament final, the amusement is tenfold. Spain fell to defeat against England in the recently concluded Under-17 World Cup final held in India. The Spanish teenagers fell to England, despite having a significant advantage. The advantage being, Jadon Sancho’s recall from the tournament by his parent club.
Jadon Sancho, the man who took Dembele’s Number 7 at Borussia Dortmund, was the undisputed star of an exciting Young Lions. A status he earned with his performance in the tournament as 5 of the 11 goals scored by England had Jadon Sancho’s direct involvement. In the three group stage matches played, he scored three goals and created 2 more, all this despite seeing his penalty being saved against Iraq.
After the conclusion of the group stage, Jadon Sancho had to leave for Germany to represent his parent club Borussia Dortmund. His departure had a direct impact on the Young Lions’ performance as they fell from being a hot favourite to winning against a unfancied Japan on Penalties, an unexpected result for a team which won all the group stage games scoring 11 and conceding a measly 2 goals.
Even before his stellar showing at the U-17 World Cup, Sancho was a star. He was the only member of the English U-17 team who does not play in England. Having signed by Manchester City from Watford at the age of 14 for a fee which could rise to £500,000 with add-ons, Sancho departed to Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £8 million in the wake of Dembele’s bumper departure to Barcelona. Sancho was one of a trio of players at Manchester City Academy who were fast tracked in to the senior setup.
Jadon Sancho made his debut for Dortmund against Eintracht Frankfurt on October 21st, 2017. Coming on as a substitute with 6 minutes left in the game, he became the first Englishman to play a Bundesliga game for Dortmund. Sancho’s recall by Dortmund is a demonstration of his boundless talent. His senior bow in the middle of a huge tournament could be a sign of many things to come. Ever since his move to Dortmund, regular first-team football has been the prime focus for the youngster. With his involvement now, he could become the true successor of the previous Number 7 wearer, Dembele.
Real Madrid’s policy of snapping up the world’s most promising talent led Los Blancos to register an interest in Sancho. But one thing, in particular, didn’t convince the youngster as his intention to secure senior game time was against the European champions preference of starting youth with the Castilla squad.
