Matt Oldfield - Sancho

For all readers,
young and old(er)

Matt Oldfield is an accomplished writer and the editor-in-chief
of football review site Of Pitch & Page. Tom Oldfield is a
freelance sports writer and the author of biographies on
Cristiano Ronaldo, Arsne Wenger and Rafael Nadal.

Cover illustration by Dan Leydon.

To learn more about Dan visit danleydon.com

To purchase his artwork visit etsy.com/shop/footynews

Or just follow him on Twitter @danleydon

TABLE OF CONTENTS

First of all, Id like to thank everyone at Bonnier Books UK for supporting me throughout and for running the ever-expanding UFH ship so smoothly. Writing stories for the next generation of football fans is both an honour and a pleasure. Thanks also to my agent, Nick Walters, for helping to keep my dream job going, year after year. A special thanks also goes to Ryan Baldi for being so generous with his time, talent and knowledge of all things Sancho.

Next up, an extra big cheer for all the teachers, booksellers and librarians who have championed these books, and, of course, for the readers. The success of this series is truly down to you.

Okay, onto friends and family. I wouldnt be writing this series if it wasnt for my brother Tom. I owe him so much and Im very grateful for his belief in me as an author. Im also very grateful to the rest of my family, especially Mel, Noah, Nico, and of course Mum and Dad. To my parents, I owe my biggest passions: football and books. Theyre a real inspiration for everything I do.

Pang, Will, Mills, Doug, Naomi, John, Charlie, Sam, Katy, Ben, Karen, Ana (and anyone else I forgot) thanks for all the love and laughs, but sorry, no I wont be getting a real job anytime soon!

And finally, I couldnt have done any of this without Ionas encouragement and understanding. Much love to you.

ENGLANDS NEW
WING WIZARD

10 September 2019, St Marys Stadium, Southampton

You ready, J? Raheem Sterling asked as the England players waited in the tunnel before kick-off against Kosovo. It was an important Euro 2020 qualifier and Jadon was making only his fourth senior start, in place of Manchester Uniteds Marcus Rashford, but he was still all smiles and no nerves, as always.

Of course Im always ready, bro! Jadon replied. The pressure didnt bother him because although he was still only nineteen years old, he had already played over fifty first-team games for his German club, Borussia Dortmund. Now, it was time to star for his country too. Tonights the night Im going to score my first England goal and youre going to set me up, Raz, just like I set you up against Croatia, remember? Pleeeeaaaase!

Jadon already had two international assists, but he was desperate to grab his first goal for England.

Well see about that! Raheem laughed. He knew Jadon well from his early days at the Manchester City academy, and he reminded him so much of himself when he was younger skilful, fearless and full of confidence. It didnt really matter whether he was in the park with his mates, or wearing a white England shirt in front of thousands of fans Jadon just loved playing football and entertaining people with his tricks.

So, what could he do tonight to make the crowd at St Marys go Woah!? With Raheem on the left and Jadon on the right, England had two of the most exciting wingers in world football, and in the middle, they had Harry Kane, one of the sharpest shooters in the game. What a fantastic front three surely the goals were going to flow!

The first goal arrived after only thirty seconds, but it was Kosovo who scored it, not England. Uh-oh! It was a real shock, but the England players didnt panic there was plenty of time left to turn things around. In fact, it didnt take them long at all. Seven minutes later, Raheem headed in an equaliser, and soon, England were 31 up, thanks to a strike from Harry Kane and then an own goal from Mrgim Vojvoda.

Jadon was the one who had created the own goal by weaving his way into the box at speed before sending a dangerous cross into the six-yard box. It was meant for Raheem, but the ball bounced off a Kosovo defender instead and into the net.

Nice one, J! Harry shouted, giving his fellow attacker a double high-five. Jadon was pleased with his performance so far, but now he was desperate to grab a goal of his own...

With half-time approaching, Raheem raced up the left wing to launch another England counter-attack. As he looked up, he spotted Jadon in the space on the right side of the box, calling for it. Raheem thought about shooting himself, but he knew that if he didnt set his friend up, he would be hearing about it for days.

PING!

When the pass arrived, Jadon didnt rush. He had to get this right it was a golden chance he couldnt waste, so first, he took a touch to control the ball and steady himself. Even as a defender dived in for a last-ditch block, Jadon kept his cool. He just shifted the ball a little to the right and then with a swing of his leg, he fired a low shot past the keeper. 41!

Gooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

His first for England what a proud moment! As he jogged over to the corner flag, Jadon punched the air and kissed the Three Lions on the badge of his shirt. Then, as a big grin spread across his face, he turned around and pointed at a very important teammate:

Cheers, Raz!

For Jadon, it was a childhood dream come true to score for his country, especially with all his family watching, and he wasnt done yet. Two minutes later, Raheem dribbled forward again and set up Jadon for his second goal of the game.

Yesssssss thanks bro, youre the best!

Englands wing wizards were on fire 51! First Raheem and now, Jadon, the new wonderkid on the scene. Although he couldnt quite complete his hat-trick, he carried on terrorising the Kosovo defenders with his dazzlingly quick feet, much to the delight of the supporters in the stadium.

Woah!... Yeah!... Wow!

They had all heard about the exciting young winger who was doing so well at Dortmund, and now they had seen him at his electric best for England.

After eighty-five minutes of attacking magic, Jadons job was done. As the fans cheered him off the field, he clapped and clapped and clapped. It was an emotional night that he would never, ever forget.

When Jadon reached the touchline, Gareth Southgate was waiting for him with a big smile and a pat on the back. Before the match, the England manager had challenged him to take his opportunity, and boy, had Jadon succeeded! With two goals and an assist, he had proved that he was ready to represent his country at the highest level.

Jadons rapid and remarkable rise to the top continued. At the age of nineteen, the street footballer from South London was now all set to become an England superstar.

A FOOTBALL-CRAZY KID
IN KENNINGTON

Once the school day was over and all the kids had dropped their bags at home, thats when playtime really began.

Come on, lets go! Jadon called out impatiently, his words echoing around the estate. The Guinness Trust Buildings in Kennington were made up of two main blocks of flats, with a concrete space in the middle. Thats where Jadon stood, with a football at his feet as always, and while he waited for his friends to join him, he worked on his keepy-uppies: