Postcard from Malta: The future stars of European football emerge

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Who knew that a bit of rain and cold weather is not the worst thing in the world?

Just hours after watching Italy lift the under-19 European Championship in Malta, the fresh wind and rain that greeted me in Dublin was a welcome relief.

On Sunday night at the National Stadium in Malta, temperatures peaked at 34°C during the final with little to no wind – at 9pm local time.

And it was the Azzurri who rose to that challenge at the expense of Portugal.

Michael Kayode’s thumping first-half header was the difference between the sides, ending Italy’s 20-year wait for success at European under-19 level.

They came close before – losing three finals in a row – but this was a stunning win and performance from the Italians.

Defending with poise and an admirable discipline, the Italians suffocated the life out of Portugal – just like the weather conditions did to many in the crowd.

With tickets priced at between €4 and €8 for the final, just over 5,000 supporters showed up for the decider – and that was the highest attendance of the tournament by some stretch.

Just under 4,000 fans flocked to the same venue for Malta’s – the hosts – first game against eventual winners Italy, while crowds also dipped to a low of 244 for the final Group B showdown between Iceland and Greece.



But the overall view of match attendances was positive according to organisers.

They even managed to beat their target figure of 5,000 supporters for the final on Sunday by almost one thousand extra.

And perhaps that is no mean feat in the grand scheme of things. Malta had long exited the competition at that point and support for domestic football on the island is not exactly big.

Yet, that did not stop a buzz being created throughout the fortnight on the island amongst those who attended games.

That was added to with the attendance of former AC Milan midfielder Zvonimir Boban for the final – he is now UEFA’s Chief of Football – and this reporter met him briefly before then.



UEFA’s refereeing officer Bjorn Kuipers also showed up at one point. Some might remember him from the Euro 2020 final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium.

But it was the players who were a constant throughout the competition – and they sought to build a rapport with their respective supporters.

In doing so, they kicked footballs into the stand before kick-off with a number of children – and adults – jumping around joyously upon claiming a tournament football.

But few will really care about the final result of the competition – apart from the winning country of course – with many focusing on the stars of the future instead.

Portugal quartet Gabriel Bras, Goncalo Esteves, Hugo Felix and Rodrigo Ribeiro caught the eye throughout, as did Iceland’s Eggert Gudmundsson who lit up the group stage campaign with a fantastic solo goal against Norway.

Tournament top scorer Victor Barbera (Spain) was also quite good – he just left Barcelona last month – while Italy star Samuele Vignato caught the eye as the competition progressed.

But it is easy for us to get caught up in anointing the future stars of European football based on their performances during a short two-week window. 

For example, Jean-Kevin Augustin – from France – was the player of the same tournament in 2016 and upstaged Kylian Mbappe in doing so.

But now, Mbappe is arguably the best forward in the world – while Augustin is attempting to rebuild his career after an ill-fated move to Leeds United. 

While he is not the only one, his fate after an under-19 European Championship serves as a reminder that development is not always linear.

But competitions like this do at least offer an indication as to what we can expect to see in the future. The future is bright in European football, that is for sure.

About Andrew Dempsey

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