Forged At The Grassroots Level

10 months ago

Speaking of grassroots successes in football, you don’t have to look far to find motivating stories.

In fact, when we take a closer look, more than 85% of the English Euro team started in popular football. It’s an astonishing number, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. With countless grassroots players in the major leagues – it seems The Way to get into high-level football.

Let’s take a look at the current England squad and their key beginnings that have helped shape their success today.

English footballers with popular beginnings

More than 85% of the players who made up 2020 side in euro It started at the grassroots level.

We will focus on a handful of the best players who owe their professional success to grassroots football and their impressive performances in the latest Euro, where a brave team lost to Italy on the final frontier.

Jack Grealish

Grealish began his successful football career at Highgate United, before joining Aston Villa at the age of six. He was a liberating prankster back in the folk football days, and he slowly but steadily developed his game into the behemoth that he is today.

The permanent Aston Villa fan has been signed by Manchester City after paying a £100m transfer fee. Not only was this the most expensive transfer fee for an English player ever, it was also the largest ever paid by an English club. Although his first season at this new club fell short of expectations, Grealish shouldn’t be left out. After all, grassroots players are no strangers to adversity.

Phil Foden

Phil Foden began his football career at the grassroots level for the Reddish Vulcans, signing for Manchester City at the age of four. He’s a Manchester boy through and through. On a star-studded team, Foden’s presence is of great emotional importance to the team’s fans.

Foden made his Manchester City debut at the age of 17 in 2017 with the team’s US pre-season tour. Although Guardiola was initially called out for not giving Foden regular playing time, the decision turned out to be a huge buck. Foden was shielded from public scrutiny due to Guardiola’s dealings. In turn, Foden can go on to play football as he did in his folk football days. The end result is a street smart player who is also tactically smart.

Foden put in an outstanding performance at Euro 2020 and was an integral part of Manchester City’s performance in the 21-22 season.

Jordan Pickford

England number one Jordan Pickford also started his career at the grassroots level with Washington’s envelope.

Pickford finally joined Sunderland’s academy at the age of eight, progressing through the stages and signing for the club in 2011. The goalkeeper moved to Everton in 2017 where he remains the team’s first choice. In a season of fear and trouble, Pickford has been one of the bright spots for Everton. His loud, loud and confident playing style is a direct result of the development of his craft at the grassroots level. He is the undisputed No. 1 of the national team, being the archetype of goalkeeper GK.

Besides his career at Everton, Pickford has shone during Euro 2020 with a string of impressive performances and clean sheets. While England lost the final on penalties, Pickford received no blame, as his performance throughout the tournament was the main reason England reached the final in first place.

Harry King

Harry Kane MBE is another player who started his career at the base level with Ridgway Rovers as his first team.

Kane joined Arsenal’s youth academy at the age of eight but was released after just one season after being described as ‘not very athletic’. Kane returned to Ridgeway Rovers before signing a six-week trial with Watford at the age of 11. After an impressive performance against Spurs, Kane was offered a midfield position with Spurs.

A change of positions followed, and so did a series of credits, but Kane’s never-say-die attitude and fighting spirit, forged in popular football, did not allow him to give up.

The rest, they say, is history and Kane has done incredibly well at Spurs and despite expressing his desire to leave the club at the end of the 20-21 season, he is still in a forward role. Now under the supervision of Antonio Conte, Kane said he enjoys life at Tottenham, music to the ears of the club’s fans.

With the World Cup finals looming next November, Kane’s fit and sack performance will be instrumental in boosting England’s chances of ‘giving them home’. Will they?

Where do you bet on the World Cup?

Football fans looking to place a sports bet or two on the World Cup will be puzzled this November.

With the strength of the English side, we expect football fever to spread across the UK – bookmakers included. With countless high quality and trustworthy betting sites available for UK players, offers and promotions are expected to arrive in droves. “She’s Coming Home” became an anthem of sorts for the English band during the Euros. The same can be expected, multiplied by a thousand, given the size of the tournament! Rest assured, the bets will flow.

Among the best bookmakers, Bet365 is a little taller than other bookmakers for World Cup betting. New bettors who join sports betting can claim Free Bets Bet365 With a whopping £50 available to new players who bet £10 on sign up.

We also expect a wide range of World Cup focused rewards and promotions available at Bet365. Acca bonuses, free bets, and improved odds are on the horizon – it’s up to players to keep their eyes peeled for them! If played right, it may not only be the World Cup that brings you home, but it can also bring a lot of rewards!

Takeaway

There are more grassroots successes in the past 20 years than one can count – so much so that the majority of Britain’s World Cup squad is expected to be made up of grassroots players.

Fans will be excited to see the team perform after the bittersweet result at Euro 2020. Southgate’s England may have what it takes to reach the final once again – this time fans are only hoping they can finally seal the deal, more than half a century after their recent success in this tournament.

With Kane, Beckford, Foden and Grealish waiting for their chance to redeem, it may finally be time.

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