England U17s World Cup win against Spain was crucial moment - Cooperpublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 13 July
Spain v England (Sun, 20:00 BST)
Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter
Leicester City boss Steve Cooper believes England Under-17s' World Cup triumph over Spain seven years ago was a seminal moment in the country's youth development.
As U17s manager he guided his Young Lions into the history books when they became world champions, beating Spain 5-2 in 2017, just months after losing to them on penalties in the European Championship final.
Phil Foden scored twice while Marc Guehi also netted as Cooper's side came from 2-0 down to storm to victory.
Now, with Foden and Guehi expected to face Spain in Sunday's Euro 2024 final, Cooper knows how key their victory in India was.
He told BBC Sport: "The final was a brilliant example of what we were trying, and starting, to implement in all of the teams. The football we played, playing as a team, we played on a big stage.
"We played with no fear and with great expression. We were 2-0 down and played brilliantly but they caught us on two attacks. We showed a great resilience and mentality to not panic, recover and fight back.
"For me it was a great reference point to what the youth teams were doing. We were live on BBC, it was the first time the wider public would have seen some of the players we see regularly now. It was a very important moment for them."