Manchester United Premier Cup - Nike Football
Every year Manchester United and Nike join forces to host the Manchester United Premier Cup, a competition for the world s 20 most promising under-15 teams. Over 8,000 teams entered, but only one team can be crowned the future of football...
Since the tournament was created, over 1.7m youngsters have shared the dream of international football and to date they include some of our favourite footballing superstars. More than 25 tournament "old boys" were called up to represent their country in South Africa - including an incredible six players in Spain's championship-winning side.
The Premier Cup was developed by Nike in 1993 as a grassroots tournament, and evolved to become a global celebration of youth football in 2003 when Manchester United added their name to the ultimate competition - thus the Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) World Finals were born.
The esteemed list of previous players includes none other than; Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Robinho, Maicon, Alexis Sanchez, Falcao, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Alberto Aquilani, Ricardo Quaresma, Gerard Pique, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Fernando Torres and Iker Casillas.
The 2011 tournament was won by Mexican side Pachuca FC, crowned under-15 Champions of the World at the Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) after beating Orlando Pirates 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Cheered on by a 3,000 plus crowd, Pachuca s Ochoa Chavez made the most of a long ball with a beautifully placed header into the top right-hand side of the goal after just two minutes. Despite individual moments of brilliance from Orlando Pirates, the South Africans could not break through the Mexican team s midfield control and the match finished 1-0.
So, it was Pachuca's youngsters who proved they have what it takes to become the next stars of world football. We'll need to keep an eye on the young Mexicans, along with tournament Top Goalscorer Aydin from Fenerbahce and PSV's Bakkali, voted Most Valuable Player by coaches of opposing sides.
What do you think of tournaments like the Manchester United Premier Cup, are they great for promoting global talent and perhaps you were fortunate to be involved! Share your thoughts with the SoccerBible community online.
