Arsene Wenger is one of the most revered managers in Premier League history, and the Frenchman was renowned for having an eye for spotting young talent.
Now in a prominent role with FIFA, Wenger is still involved in football and even made an emotional return to Arsenal earlier this season to watch Mikel Arteta's swashbuckling side.
Wenger will always be synonymous with the English game following his raft of accomplishments. Such is his standing in the game, he was even touted as a potential manager of the England team on numerous occasions before walking away from club management for good.
He did, though, foresee a bright future for English football back in 2020 - when he even predicted that the Three Lions' new generation would produce a player capable of eclipsing Lionel Messi and becoming the world's best footballer.
Wenger previously told talkSPORT: "Lionel MessI... we’ve never seen players like that who can absolutely be creative in any tight situation. These players are now getting to an end – Ronaldo and Messi.
"It’s now about the next generation and the next generation may be French. At the moment, the leader could be Mbappe. Of course Neymar, we know. But England I believe has a good chance. Now they are doing very well at youth level. They have done well with Gareth Southgate at the World Cup. I was hoping at the European Championship they would be one of the contenders."
Unfortunately for Wenger, the majority of the young stars who were at the forefront of Gareth Southgate's vibrant young squad which came so close to European glory at the delayed 2020 tournament 12 months later have failed to live up to his lofty prediction.
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Jadon Sancho's stock was at an all-time high prior to his blockbuster move to Manchester United, but the former Borussia Dortmund has looked like a shell of the player that tormented the Bundesliga since completing his £73million switch to Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford was another name who was touted as a potential superstar at the time but is nowhere near the level of Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, and it's unlikely that will change even as he approaches his peak.
New names have emerged since then, though: Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham are three of England's brightest young stars, with Saka and Bellingham, in particular, starring in last year's World Cup tournament.
While it remains to be seen if any of that trio will be able to come closer to Wenger's prediction than the likes of Sancho and Rashford, Bellingham is on course to complete a huge transfer to Real Madrid and has the scope to evolve into one of the finest footballer's England has produced, while Saka has now established himself as a bonafide matchwinner for both club and country.
Both have more than enough talent to give Wenger a decent run for his money in relation to his bold prediction from 2020.
And with a host of other young stars pushing for a starring role ahead of next summer's European Championships, no matter what, Wenger did get one thing spot on, English football is in a good place.
