Where are they now? England's 2017 U17 World Cup winning squad
That being said, England's tournament-winning side boasted some huge talents that have gone on to fulfil their potential, some that have a way to go yet and a couple that have dropped away completely.
The tournament culminated with a 5-2 victory against Spain in the final and here, Flashscore takes a look at their squad in 2017 to see what happened next for each young star.
GK - Curtis Anderson
Curtis Anderson started between the sticks for England's 5-2 win against Spain to claim the trophy, having been on the books of Manchester City since 11-years-old and showed plenty of promise throughout the tournament.
Unfortunately for the youngster, his career hasn't quite gone to plan in the six years since the tournament, finding himself at American second division side Charlotte Independence before bouncing around non-league back in England - currently turning out for Kendal Town FC.
GK - Josef Bursik
Despite not being first choice, Josef Bursik has gone on to have the most successful career so far of all three goalkeepers.
After breaking into the first team with Stoke City and establishing himself as a solid Championship 'keeper, Bursik earned himself a move to Club Brugge in Belgium where he has since suffered knee ligament damage - meaning he is yet to make a first team appearance.
GK - Billy Crellin
Perhaps surprisingly, Billy Crellin was with Fleetwood Town when he was called up to England's squad for the U17 World Cup, the furthest down England's footballing pyramid of all those selected for the tournament.
His high potential earned him a moved to Everton in 2022 where he still remains now, although aged 23 he has been limited to youth football and is yet to break into the first team.
DEF - Timothy Eyoma
Timothy 'TJ' Eyoma was an unused substitute during the final against Spain and now finds himself plying his trade with Lincoln City in League One.
At the time of the tournament he was signed with Tottenham Hotspur and even made an appearance for them during an FA Cup third round match against Tranmere Rovers in 2019.
Unfortunately, his career with Spurs never really materialised and Eyoma found himself on loan with Lincoln on two occasions before signing permanently in 2021 where he has since established himself as a solid performer in England's third tier.
DEF - Lewis Gibson
Another unused substitute during the final was ex-Everton centre back Lewis Gibson.
The defender was a semi-regular feature in England's youth sides and has a fair share of experience in senior football after loans with Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol Rovers.
He completed a permanent transfer to Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 2023 where he has been a regular performer in what has been a positive campaign so far for the Championship club.
DEF - Marc Guehi
Marc Guehi started and scored in the final against Spain and is the first player on the list to really go on and get close to fulfilling his potential.
The defender was part of Chelsea's famous youth academy from the age of eight up until Crystal Palace signed him in 2021 where he has since become one of England's best defenders - consistently finding himself included and playing in the senior squad.
DEF - Jonathan Panzo
Alongside Guehi was fellow Chelsea academy product Jonathan Panzo.
Although both enjoying success at U17 level, Panzo hasn't quite hit the heights of Guehi and has been bouncing around various clubs.
He definitely has one of the more interesting career paths, having signed for Monaco from Chelsea before moving to Dijon and then Nottingham Forest, where he has since been loaned out to Coventry and Cardiff, respectively, without making too many appearances.
DEF - Joel Latibeaudiere
Joel Latibeaudiere captained England throughout the tournament and showed plenty of promise during his youth career both internationally and at Manchester City.
He failed to complete the tough task of breaking into City's first team and instead made the switch to Swansea in 2020.
His good performances down in the Championship then earned him a move to play-off finalists Coventry City in the summer of 2023 where he has featured in every single match so far.
Interestingly, Latibeaudiere switched international allegiances, now playing for Jamaica's senior side.
DEF - Steven Sessegnon
Steven Sessegnon - twin brother to Spurs defender Ryan and distant cousin of former Sunderland midfielder, Stephane - was a permanent fixture in England's youth set-ups all the way to under-21 level and also started in the final against Spain.
His consistent performances at youth level couldn't translate to much game time with Fulham, though, where he only made 19 appearances (among various loan moves) before being released and signing permanently for Wigan in League One.
MID - George McEachran
George McEachran started the final for England but has barely featured in senior football over the last six years.
He continued as part of Chelsea's superb academy set-up before being loaned out to Dutch clubs SC Cambuur and then MVV Maastricht where he made a combined five appearances.
McEachran seems to have a found a home with Swindon Town in League Two where he has featured 16 times this season.
MID - Conor Gallagher
One of the more recognisable names in the squad, Conor Gallagher came on as a substitute as England beat Spain 5-2 in the final.
He was another of the many Chelsea academy products to make the squad and forge a good career so far in professional football, now regularly featuring for the Blues and even captaining them on some occasions.
His particularly good form this season has also earned him a regular spot in the England squad.
MID - Morgan Gibbs-White
Morgan Gibbs-White was one of England's key players at the U17 World Cup, scoring in both the quarter-final and final.
He has since grown into a very promising Premier League talent, excelling for Nottingham Forest under Steve Cooper - who was also his manager at the World Cup!
Gibbs-White initially broke through into Wolves' team, before being loaned to Sheffield United and then completing a permanent move to Forest.
MID - Tashan Oakley-Boothe
After starting the final against Spain, Tashan Oakley-Booth looked to have a big career ahead of him in the top flight, playing for Spurs' academy sides.
He failed to break into the first team and moved to Stoke City in the Championship where he played mostly for the U23 side before leaving as a free agent in the summer of 2023.
Oakley-Booth has since signed for Blackpool in League One where he plays regularly for a side pushing towards the play-offs.
MID - Nya Kirby
Nya Kirby is one of only two from the squad to drop into non-league - alongside the previously mentioned Curtis Anderson.
He was a promising member of Crystal Palace's youth set-up but loan moves to Blackpool and Tranmere Rovers failed to bring the best out of him, leading to his release and subsequent transfer to Oxford City where he has played 12 times, scoring twice.
MID - Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho excelled for England at the U17 World Cup - scoring three times - and went on to make a name for himself as one of the most promising youngsters on the planet.
His performances at Borussia Dortmund, where he scored 50 goals and provided 64 assists, earned him a huge transfer to Manchester United.
Unfortunately for Sancho that transfer has derailed his promising career.
The winger had a very public fall-out with manager Erik ten Hag and hasn't been heard from since, while also losing his spot in England's senior side.
MID - Phil Foden
Perhaps the only player in the side with a higher ceiling than Sancho was his former Manchester City teammate Phil Foden.
The youngster netted twice in the final and was named the player of the tournament, setting out what was still to come for him in his senior career.
Foden has since broken into City's first team and the main England squad, scoring consistently and winning every trophy available to him at club level including a treble in 2022/23.
The midfielder has made 235 appearances already for City aged just 23, scoring 65 and setting up a further 45.
MID - Angel Gomes
Angel Gomes scored twice in the group stages and came on from the bench in the final for England during the U17 World Cup.
As one of the most promising players on the books of Manchester United at the time, many supporters were surprised when left for Lille in 2020.
After spending a year on loan in Portugal with Boavista, Gomes returned to France and has since featured regularly in Ligue 1 as he slowly builds a career for himself in the professional game, away from the spotlight at Manchester United.
MID - Callum Hudson-Odoi
The third of four wingers to feature in the U17 side all plying their trade for one of the Premier League's 'big six', Callum Hudson-Odoi was another player who appeared to have a big future ahead of him with Chelsea.
Injuries played their part, but unfortunately for Hudson-Odoi his career hasn't gone as planned so far.
Poor performances at Chelsea lead to him being loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen before eventually completing a permanent move to Nottingham Forest, reuniting with Steve Cooper.
He has only featured four times for Forest but did score a superb goal on his debut - hopefully he will get his career back on track soon.
MID - Emile Smith-Rowe
Emile Smith-Rowe was a valuable member of the U17 World Cup squad, despite not featuring in the final of the tournament.
He broke into Arsenal's first team in 2020 following loans to RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town but, like Hudson-Odoi, has seen his career stalled by injuries.
Smith-Rowe still has time to return to the Gunners' side but it will be difficult following the emergence of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
FWD - Danny Namaso Loader
Another young player who opted for a move abroad rather than to stay in England, Danny Namaso Loader came through Reading's academy before transferring to Porto.
He was an unused substitute in the U17 World Cup final but did net twice during the group stages.
His career has somewhat stalled since moving to Portugal, often finding himself on then bench rather than the pitch, but he still has plenty of time on his side.
FWD - Rhian Brewster
Rhian Brewster finished the U17 World Cup with an incredible eight goals, being named the competition's golden boot winner in the process.
He scored two separate hat-tricks in the knockout stages, one in the quarter-finals against the USA and again in the semi-finals against Brazil.
Brewster showed plenty of promise during his youth career with Liverpool but has unfortunately tailed off in recent years, struggling to properly break into Sheffield United's team after completing a permanent transfer to Brammal Lane in 2020.