FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: 10 stars who are performing well in Europe

These footballers broke on to the scene during the tournament in India.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 was historic for many reasons. It was the first time a FIFA-affiliated tournament took place in India and ended up being a big success. It broke the record for being the highest-attended U-17 World Cup in history with over 1,347,000 people attending the games.

The World Cup will also be remembered for giving the platform for some of the rising superstars from around the world. Indeed, the England national team – which lifted the trophy – itself gave a breakthrough to some of its prominent stars who are doing really well at the highest level of European football right now.

Some other stars from around the globe also found the platform to showcase their skills, impressing prominent clubs into signing and utilizing their talent. So here, we take a look at the top 10 FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 stars who are performing well in Europe.

10. Josh Sargent

The shining beacon of USA’s attack in the 2017 U-17 World Cup, Sargent had a prolific tournament thanks to his excellent work up front. He scored three goals and helped them progress into the quarter-finals, where they lost to England. Sargent has since earned a move to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, where he’s consolidated himself into a starter.

Despite playing at a team struggling for consistency, Sargent continues to terrorize Bundesliga defenders with his clever movement and creative style. He’s scored one and assisted one in seven league games this season but deserves much more for his smart work.

9. Paulinho

Paulinho lit up Brazil’s World Cup campaign a few years ago with his sizzling style in the attack and worked really well as an attacking midfielder. With his tricky style and ability to dazzle past opponent, the Brazilian impressed fans with his silky style and was also part of many goals – including scoring three himself.

He now plays for Bayer Leverkusen and did really well as an impactful substitute last season, scoring three goals and managing two assists in 13 games(in only 303 minutes). The Brazilian unfortunately picked up a nasty injury which has kept him out for months but should continue his progress into a possible regular once he returns.

8. Eric Garcia

The Manchester City star also played a role in Spain’s World Cup campaign and helped them progress into the semi-finals. Garcia made a few solid appearances, helping La Roja keep a commendable defensive shape. Since then, Garcia has moved up the ranks at City and gets often rotated into the first-team these days.

He’s made 14 Premier League appearances so far and impressed with his defensive style, with his tendency to make clutch challenges and distribution skills being praised. Garcia is in line to move back to Barcelona next summer and his career should only soar as long as he keeps improving his defending.

7. Maxence Caqueret

France proved to be quite an efficient team in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup before being beaten by finalists Spain. However, they had an excellent group stages campaign and Maxence Caqueret also received his chance to impress. He put in some solid performances from midfield and helped them dominate the group stages.

Caqueret has grown into one of the pillars of Rudi Garcia’s excellent Olympique Lyonnais side that reached the Champions League semi-finals last season! He performed really well against top sides in Europe, with sturdy defensive work and slick distribution proving he’s one to watch out for in the future.

6. Callum Hudson-Odoi

Callum Hudson-Odoi also received the spring to boost his career forward in the FIFA U-17 World Cup three years ago, when he shined as one of the star performers for England. The tricky winger caused chaos with his movement and made up really well for the absence of Jadon Sancho. He scored a goal and provided two assists, including a brace of assists in the final!

Hudson-Odoi has broken through to the Chelsea squad in the last few years and is still trying to earn his spot in the starting XI. He has scored two goals this season and knowing how menacing he is in the final third, it’s only a matter of time before Hudson-Odoi reaches his ultimate potential.

5. Takefusa Kubo

The Japan side of the 2017 U-17 World Cup were filled with hidden gems and the biggest one was Takefusa Kubo. The former Barcelona academy star dazzled fans with his exceptional quality on the ball, scoring only one goal but helping set up many with his excellent creativity. He’s since moved to Real Madrid and is currently on loan at Villarreal, for whom he’s scored one and created three more goals in the UEFA Europa League.

Kubo is still working on his physicality and consistency in order to earn a regular place in the LaLiga side, but knowing his Messi-esque quality on the ball – the Japanese wonder has a bright future ahead.

4. Sergino Dest

Sergio Dest was also one of the stars of USA’s campaign in the U-17 World Cup a few years ago, featuring in most of their games. He didn’t play against India U-17 but featured in every other game, helping USA progress into the quarter-finals in emphatic fashion. While he did get sent off in the 1-4 loss to England in the quarters, Dest made a bright impression and soon started to feature for Ajax’s reserve side.

He got the senior promotion last season, impressing everyone with his excellent forward movement & ability in the final third. His defensive work was also solid enough to warrant him a move to FC Barcelona this summer, where he’s now working on becoming a regular.

3. Ferran Torres

The Spanish superstar has become a renowned phenomenon since his move to Man City in the summer, but Torres first caught the eye of many in 2017. He was an absolute menace for oppositions in the U-17 World Cup, tormenting defenders with his pace & delivery. He scored two and assisted three goals in the competition, giving him the boost to shine through with Valencia.

Torres has started the season really well with City and recently scored a hattrick in Spain’s 6-0 win over Germany in the Nations League, proving that this destructive winger is one to watch out for.

2. Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho only played the first three group games in England’s FIFA U-17 World Cup campaign, but that was all needed to introduce himself to the world stage. He scored three goals and assisted two in just three games in the competition before being called back by Borussia Dortmund to make his club debut.

Since then, he’s experienced an incredible rise with Dortmund. Sancho scored 20 and assisted 20 goals in all competitions last season, proving himself among the best wingers in the world. While he’s started his campaign slowly, there’s no doubt whatsoever that Sancho will only get better into soon becoming one of the best in the world.

1. Phil Foden

Phil Foden is the next big thing for England who is already causing a lot of menace for Man City. But way before gaining attraction, he was just a scrawny kid participating in his first-ever World Cup in 2017. But that did not faze Foden at all, as the attacking midfielder had an excellent tournament in which he was the engine for England’s attack. He scored three and assisted a goal, including a game-winning brace against Spain in the final.

Foden was awarded the prestigious Golden Boy award for his amazing work and that sparked his rise to the top. He’s now a crucial part of City’s squad, often being rotated to torment oppositions and is destined for greatness in the near future.

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