Silverware seeker Callum Cooke is hoping to follow in the footsteps of some of his Boro heroes.
The Academy midfielder aims to not only lift the Under-17 European Championship trophy with England tonight, but he also wants to join some previous champions in the Boro first team.
Cooke, from Peterlee, and Teesside defender Dael Fry face Holland in the final tonight with a clear career path in sight.
The last time England were Under-17 European Champions the team included Boro’s Bruno Pilatos plus Luke Williams and Ben Gibson - both now established first teamers at the Riverside.
“We look up to players like Luke and Ben and see what they have done and that gives us something to aim at,” said Cooke.
“They are great role models for us. They came through the Middlesbrough Academy like us, they played in this tournament like us - and look at where they both are now.
“Luke went on to play in the Under-20 World Cup last year and Ben is probably making his England Under-21 debut this week and they are both playing regular first team football in the Championship.
“That is fantastic. They are both top players and when you see how they have graduated up the levels it inspires you to work hard and keep learning.
“That is where we want to be. We both want to follow in their footsteps and get into the first team.”
Cooke, who netted twice against Holland on his Under-17 debut in March, believes the trip to Malta has been invaluable.
John Peacock’s England squad eased to an opening group win against the hosts then showed spirit to come from behind and beat Turkey 4-1 before slipping to a 2-0 dead rubber defeat to Holland.
Then in the semi-final they survived a torrid first half when Portugal hit the woodwork three times before winning 2-0 in a storming second half.
“You learn a lot in a tournament like this,” he said. “It’s been brilliant.
“We are training every day with some technically superb players from Premier League clubs and learning from them.
“And we have played some really good teams with different styles and shapes and tempos.
“So it has been a fantastic experience and everyone has enjoyed it and soaked it all up, even if they haven’t had a lot of playing time.
“We all know that we have to take it back to our clubs in England and make sure we benefit from it by being better players.”
The duo flew to Malta after a pep talk from Jason Steele who urged them to savour every minute.
Keeper Steele was a losing finalist in the Under-17 Euros as England went down 1-0 to Spain in 2007 and recalled the experience vividly.
“The preparation is second to none with England,” he said. “You have to try and enjoy every minute of it - even if you are not playing.
“You have to remember what you are a part of, because people would do anything to be in that position.
“Even now, I miss going away with the national team. You miss being out with the lads, so they need to savour every moment when they can.”
And Steele believes the trip with the Young Lions can prove to be a real springboard for his two Boro team-mates.
“The Under-17s gave me that platform to build on and the confidence within myself to push on,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to go right through the ranks with England until the Under-21s. There’s no reason why it can’t be the same for this group too.
“When I was coming back from injury earlier this year, I trained with the younger lads at Boro for a bit of my rehab and you can tell straight away that Dael and Callum are good footballers.
“They are doing really well and they are both highly-rated at the club.
“Boro is renowned for bringing young lads through and hopefully these will be another two that will make that step into first-team football.”
Level-headed Cooke insists that is the plan.
“It’s all about making steady progress,” he said. “Getting into the national team and to a tournament like this is great.
“Getting to the final is a real achievement we are all proud of an winning it would be unbelievable.
“But the aim is to be a professional football and to play for Boro and this can be a stepping stone for that when we get back, a confidence boost.
“We know it is just the start really and that when we get back we have to push on and look to follow those other lads and try to get into the first team.”
PREVIOUS FINALS
2002: Switzerland 0 France 0 (Switz won on pens).
2003: Portugal 2 Spain 1
2004: France 2 Spain 1
2005: Turkey 2 Holland 0
2006: Russia 2 Czech Republic 2 (Russia won on pens)
2007: Spain 1 England 0
2008: Spain 4 France 0
2009: Germany 2 Holland 1
2010: England 2 Spain 1
2011: Holland 5 Germany 2
2012: Holland 1 Germany 1 (Holland won on pens)
2013: Russia 0 Italy 0 (Russia won on pens)
2007 ENGLAND FINALISTS
Squad:
Jason Steele (Boro)
Seth Ofori-Twumasi (Chelsea)
Joe Mattock (Leicester)
Henri Lansbury (Arsenal)
Krystian Pearce (Birmingham)
Jordan Spence (West Ham)
Danny Welbeck (Manchester Utd)
Danny Rose (Leeds)
Rhys Murphy (Arsenal)
Victor Moses (Crystal Palace)
Tristan Plummer (Bristol City)
Tom Taiwo (Chelsea)
Alex Smithies (Huddersfield)
Michael Woods (Chelsea)
Dan Gosling (Plymouth Argyle)
Nathan Porritt (Boro)
Jonathan Franks (Boro)
Gavin Hoyte (Arsenal)
In Belgium. Winning Spain side included David De Gea. Toni Kros was top scorer with four and the Player of the Tournament award went to Spain’s Bojan Krkic
2010 ENGLAND WINNERS
Squad:
Sam Johnstone (Manchester Utd)
Bruno Pilatos (Boro)
Luke Garbutt (Everton)
Conor Coady (Liverpool)
Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea)
Andre Wisdom (Liverpool)
Will Keane (Manchester Utd)
George Thorne (West Brom)
Benik Afobe (Arsenal)
Saido Berahino (West Brom)
Robert Hall (West Ham)
Ben Gibson (Boro)
Jack Butland (Birmingham)
Tom Thorpe (Manchester Utd)
Josh McEachran (Chelsea)
Ross Barkley (Everton)
Connor Wickham (Ipswich)
Luke Williams (Boro)
In Liechtenstein. Top scorer was Francisco Alcácer of Spain with six and the Player of the Tournament award went to England’s Connor Wickham
OTHER BORO PLAYERS TO FEATURE AT UEFA UNDER-17 CHAMPIONSHIPS FINALS
Grant Leadbitter, James Morrison, Tony McMahon, Andrew Taylor (Portugal 2003); David Wheater (France 2004); Adam Jackson (Serbia 2011)
BORO PLAYERS TO FEATURE AT FIFA UNDER-17 WORLD CUP
Jason Steele, Nathan Porritt, Jonathan Franks (South Korea, 2007); Adam Jackson (Mexico, 2011)
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