SCOUTED XI: Our U-17 World Cup Teams of the Tournament
Two teams of outstanding performers in Indonesia, curated by SCOUTED.
Well, that was pretty fun. A typhoon of football has whirled through Indonesia over the past month, with a total of 52 games crammed into a condensed 22-day period. This was a feast of youth football.
The conditions were tough. A game every three days is testing enough, but a game every three days in brutal heat and debilitating humidity for 17-year-olds puts immense strain on bodies and minds that are some way off being fully developed. It had a tangible effect on the quality of games at times, turning exciting match-ups on paper into turgid affairs.
Missed our previous matchday round-ups? Here they are:
And we’re off: FIFA U-17 World Cup, Matchday 1 round-up
The New Génération: FIFA U-17 World Cup, Matchday 2 round-up
MakalouMania: FIFA U-17 World Cup, Matchday 3 round-up
Estêvão and England: FIFA U-17 World Cup, Round of 16 round-up
Nevertheless, Mali stole the show. They were the best team at this tournament by our standards. Exciting and energetic in equal measure, the west Africans lit up each and every stadium they played in with their relentless style of football that was powered by a number of top-level prospects. We’ll happily admit we wanted them to win the whole thing. They deserved to.
As for the outcome, it was a familiar one: Germany beat France on penalties in the final, an exact replica of the U-17 European Championship earlier in the year. They were probably the most complete team at the tournament, equipped with quality and depth in the right places. It’s the first time they’ve ever won the men’s edition.
Paris Brunner made a difference in the final. We picked him out as one to watch in our tournament preview, and he lived up to the billing with FIFA awarding him the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player. Argentina’s Agustín Ruberto clinched the Golden Boot, scoring eight goals in seven games, including a semi-final hat-trick.
But you’re not here for what FIFA think… you’re here for the SCOUTED approved Team of the Tournament, compiled by Stephen Ganvas and Llew Davies. They’ve cracked their heads together and conjured up two teams of standout performers for you, as well as some honourable mentions.
So, without further ado, here’s SCOUTED’s FIFA U-17 World Cup Team of the Tournament - scroll down for full write-ups, and another team…
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to SCOUTED Notebook to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.