City’s Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Rodrigo all started in Berlin as Spain beat England 2-1 to be crowned European champions for a record fourth time.
Among those involved were three players that have come through the Club’s Academy system.
Along with Foden, Kieran Trippier has started every game for England while Cole Palmer grabbed England’s goal in the final.
While a 20-year range covers their time in the Academy, all three have benefitted from being part of our set-up from a young age.
Now 33, Bury-born Trippier was a nine-year-old when he first stepped into City’s Academy.
He progressed through the age groups and did the same for England where he represented the Three Lions at different levels.
The full-back was part of a strong side that won the FA Youth Cup in 2008 with a win over Chelsea as we collected the trophy for the second time.
His team-mates included Ben Mee, Dedryk Boyata, Vladimir Weiss and Daniel Sturridge who would all go on to have outstanding careers.
Trippier featured for the first team in a 2009 friendly against Barcelona and on the preseason tour the following summer.
But after a loan spell at Barnsley and then Burnley, he moved to Turf Moor permanently without playing for the first team.
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With 54 England caps and successful spells at Tottenham, Atletico Madrid and now Newcastle, Trippier has had a fantastic career.
“I was nine-years-old when I first joined Manchester City and I really enjoyed it,” he told the FA website several years ago.
“A lot of my friends were there at the time, which was really important and I gradually worked my way up through the youth team and reserves.
“One of the big highlights for me was winning the FA Youth Cup in 2008, when we beat Chelsea in the final. That was so big for the club at the time, as we had a very good youth team back then.
“Danny Sturridge was in that side along with the likes of Ben Mee, Vladimir Weiss and a few others. It was a great place to be, learning from the coaches and everything else.”
Another player to win the FA Youth Cup with City was Palmer who scored the winner in a 3-2 victory, again against Chelsea in the 2020 final.
It made up for the disappointment of the previous season when we lost on penalties to Liverpool with Palmer the unfortunate player to miss his spot-kick.
Starting at the age of eight, he spent 13 years at City making 41 appearances and collecting two Premier League winners’ medal as well as winning the Champions League and FA Cup.
It was an emotional decision when he left for Chelsea last summer where he has become a superstar at Stamford Bridge, only behind Erling Haaland for Premier League goals last season.
“I have had a fantastic time at Manchester City and I would like to thank everyone who’s been there for me and supported me during my time at the Club – players, coaches, staff,” Palmer said before his departure.
“It’s been an amazing journey for me, and I’ve enjoyed every single step.”
England’s third Academy graduate needs little introduction with Foden already a City legend at the age of 24.
A boyhood City fan, he has now made 270 appearances for the first team as well as winning 17 major trophies for the club.
Joining us at Under-9 level, Foden always had something special, but has never forgotten the influence of his early coaches.
“I think we have great coaching staff here coaching them in the right way from a very young age,” Foden said.
“I’ve had a long journey coming through each age group. I always just worked hard every day the best I could and thankfully it paid off.”
With former youth team players Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn, Denmark’s Kasper Schmeichel and exciting Dutch full-back Jeremie Frimpong also featuring at EURO 2024, it’s been a summer to remember for our Academy.
