With AirPods in hand and a stone complexion, Kobbie Mainoo stepped off England’s team bus like a man on a mission.
So, we say a man. He’s only a kid, really. On Wednesday night, Mainoo, at the age of 19 years and 82 days, became the youngest player in history to represent England in the semi-finals of a major competition in Dortmund.
Not that the award would have bothered this incredibly brilliant young man from Stockport. Nothing does.
On the biggest night of his career, Mainoo delivered a performance that defied his young age.
Mainoo played to his own song, commanding England’s pace with the confidence of a player who knows he belongs on the stage.
His bursts of speed with the ball at his feet are impressive.
One or two-touch passing. Receiving the ball at the half-turn. Arrowing balls into the forward feet. Aerial passes. Short passages. Long passages. The boy has the complete repertoire.
Poise, balance, intelligence, and work ethic. Mainoo has it everything, and more.
In the 20th minute, he dashed 30 yards towards his own goal, taking the ball from goalie Jordan Pickford.
With his back to the goal, he turned and studied the situation before sending an inch-perfect pass to Kieran Trippier on the left.
Three minutes later, at the opposite end of the pitch, he surged forward aggressively with the ball stuck to his foot before delivering an inch-perfect pass into Phil Foden’s path.
Moments later, he was sprinting back into his own penalty area, thwarting a potential Dutch attack.
All action. All from a player in his teens.
The most refreshing of Mainoo’s characteristics, and there are many, is his unwavering commitment to playing forwards.
Yes, he will work hard, as do all modern-day central midfielders. But Mainoo is not one to back down. Nobody wants to preserve possession only for the sake of having it.
If there is space ahead, he will make you run into it. If there’s a forward pass available, he’ll make it, even if it means risking the ball.
The way football should be played, and Mainoo does it brilliantly.
Gareth Southgate’s most perplexing question before the competition was who Declan Rice’s midfield partner would be.
The Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment failed, and Conor Gallagher’s tryout lasted 45 minutes.
On the basis of England’s previous three Euro 2024 matches, all of which Mainoo started, the answer was right in front of Southgate’s face the entire time.
Mainoo is never flustered and exudes the enthusiasm that has largely defined Southgate’s leadership. Courage, boldness, and, most importantly, suitcases full of ability.
Together with Rice, the Manchester United starlet should represent England’s midfield future, with or without Southgate.
If Southgate leaves, his replacement must accept Mainoo’s potential and let him to develop into an international footballer. Give him space to breathe.
If this happens, the national team will benefit for the following decade.
On May 25, 2024, Mail Sport posed this question following Mainoo’s man-of-the-match performance in the FA Cup final victory over arch rivals Manchester City.
