23/08/2026
We may never see players like this again! My question is, why are we changing the way we develop footballers at a young age when this was the golden era of football?
Yes, there are areas where the modern footballer is better in 2026, but ultimately, it comes down to mentality — that winning mentality within each individual.
Lose a game 20 years ago and you wouldn’t speak to anyone for a week because it meant that much. At training, everything was a competition. Pre-season runs were all about coming first. Small-sided games were so competitive that you’d forget you were teammates on the weekend!
Ultimately, life is about winning and losing. We can’t protect our kids from every failure and every setback. They need to experience losing, learn how to deal with disappointment, pick themselves back up and come back stronger. Otherwise, how do we expect them to develop the resilience and confidence they need in life?
Coaches, please never take the dog out of a kid. If they’ve got that fire, that aggression and that desire to win, encourage it. Teach them how to control it, channel it and use it in the right way — but don’t take it away from them.
Everyone in this photo had that mentality from a very young age, and that’s what made them special.
Maybe we need to stop trying to change that part of young footballers and start bringing it back. ⚽️