Football: Beautiful game needs yoof of today to survive

IT'S not the best youth tournament in Europe - it's the best in the world!

No, that's not me being biased and waxing lyrical about the adidas- sponsored Milk Cup which has been going on in Coleraine this week.

That is the official word from former Brazil captain and World Cup winner Branco.

What a credit that is to everyone who has been involved in this youth tournament, which is celebrating its 21st birthday.

It also seems fitting that after so long, I have managed to persuade Eurosport TV to cover it as well, which is a massive boost.

Since the kick-off last week when Northern Ireland were pipped 1- 0 by Brazil thanks to an 87th-minute wonder strike from Dennys, the tournament, which is for Under-14s, 16s and 19s has just soared in stature.

Adidas have had two scouts watching between 20 and 30 games, which is a feat in itself.

Such is the class of the field - we have had Brazil, Denmark, England, USA and Paraguay but to name a few - clubs scouts, a staggering 20 of them, have been flocking in from all over.

And they have seen a few crackers. Manchester United put a side in the U16s and that's been incredible because between three and four thousand have been watching them play every game - and believe me, the weather in Coleraine hasn't exactly been, er, tropical.

We have even had a repeat of the 1999 European Cup Final with Man Utd playing Bayern Munich in the U16s quarter-finals. Bayern were all over Utd and yet the Manchester boys managed to sneak a draw and win on penalties.

The Brazilians, who got beaten 3-2 by Paraguay in the elite final, have been fantastic to watch.

They have been using a 4-2-2-2 formation this week, which when it breaks turns into the most amazing attack you've ever seen. Six up front - that's enough to scare the wits out of any side.

Even my old mate Branco has been impressed. He thought I was exaggerating when I said he'd receive a warm welcome and see some outstanding youth football, but even was surprised at the amount of quality on show.

Obviously, it's a wonderful opportunity for players to put themselves in the shop window, and a great chance for clubs to groom their youngsters on an international stage.

But then clubs are now realising that with football in the dire financial state it is, Roman and Chelsea are the exception and the future lies very much in their youth squads.

For Northern Ireland, this week can only benefit the grassroots and provide senior international boss Sammy McIlroy with an exciting taste of what's to come.

One of my highlights was holding an off-the-cuff training session for local kids. We mentioned it on the radio and about 40 turned up to be coached by a team including myself, Branco, Flavio and Nelson, the Brazilian Under-20s manager. Where else is that going to happen - Brazilians coaching Northern Ireland kids.

We've certainly been entertained, from Kaiser Chiefs' 4-3 win over Everton to the boys from Otago in New Zealand, who until they arrived here had only ever played in bare feet.

After playing one match a la Zola Budd, they were handed some football, which they have never worn.

They also did the Haka at the opening ceremony and then sung a host of Maori songs for us at a dinners.

The competition itself was fantastic with Racing Club of Argentina beating Hearts 1-0 in the junior final and Manchester United lifting the premier title for U16s with a golden goal victory over Preston.

But without doubt the best bit has been seeing the smile on so many kids' faces - you can't ask for more than that.

I KNOW a lot of the Manchester United fans were very disappointed that they lost out on Ronaldinho, but the biggest surprise was that the Brazilians were gutted as well.

The Brazilians here this week - Marcelo, Flavio, Branco - are huge Man Utd fans and they cannot understand why the club they regard as the biggest in the world has never signed one of their countrymen.

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