Academy Quote by Bernardo Silva

I started playing when I was about 16, and I got picked for the England youth team when I was 17 because I was…

— Fallon Sherrock

I was in an academy from the age of eight. I couldn't play for my grassroots team then.

— Tyrone Mings

I was about five or six when I went to the little foundation camps. I got into the academy when I was nine, and…

— Sean Longstaff

I played in the Under 18s when I was 14, then the reserves at 15, and then the first team.

— Jack Rodwell

Once I reached about 14 or 15, I started to steady myself and get into a midfield role and carried that on until I…

— Trent Alexander-Arnold

I could have started playing professional at 16, 17 quite easily. For my position, I was far better than a lot of people around…

— Sol Campbell

I was 15 when I made my debut for the national team.

— Samuel Eto'o

The quality of our academy system is very high, as good as anything in the world. Around the country, lots of people in youth…

— Gareth Southgate

At RB Leipzig at first I was 18 years old. I was the youngest player in the squad and so at first it wasn't…

— Joshua Kimmich

I started out at youth level as a holding midfielder.

— Roberto Firmino

I didn't play on an organized team until I was 13 or 14 years old. Two years later, I was invited to the Junior…

— A'ja Wilson

I only started playing top football when I was 17 and a half.

— Divock Origi