Kobbie Mainoo: The Calm of a Teenage Boy

Mainoo, the boy who is old before his time

Wearing AirPods and a poker face, Mainoo boarded the England team bus with the air of a soldier on duty.

At 19 years and 82 days, the Manchester United midfielder became the youngest English player to play in a major tournament semi-final. Being the youngest player ever to play in that semi-final did not faze the Stockport-born prodigy.

Mainoo's excellent form helped the Three Lions defeat the Netherlands to reach the EURO 2024 Final, and made people forget that he is only 19 years old. The big stage is reserved for the player who grew up in the Manchester United football academy. Mainoo plays football like playing music, playing a good song to his own melody, keeping the rhythm for the white team.

Mainoo's control of the ball was a joy to watch. The ball seemed glued to his feet. Passing with one or two touches. Receiving with grace. Driving the ball forward. High passes, low passes. Short passes, long passes. He did it all with ease.

Calm, balanced, intelligent, with a great attitude. Mainoo has it all.

In the 20th minute of the semi-final, Mainoo sprinted 30 yards towards his own goal to receive the ball from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. He turned, looked around, then sent a short, centimetre-perfect pass to the left to Kieran Trippier.

Three minutes later, in the opposite half, Mainoo drove forward with determination, the ball sticking to his feet before delivering another inch-perfect pass into the path of Phil Foden.

All the action comes from a teenage player.

The good thing is that despite playing as a central midfielder, Mainoo is always determined to get forward. He is often positioned higher than the modern central midfielders. Mainoo rarely drops back. No one wins possession just to have possession.

If there was space ahead, Mainoo would run forward. If there was an attacking pass, he would pass it immediately, even if he risked losing the ball. That's the modern way of playing football and Mainoo played it brilliantly, very excitingly.

Gareth Southgate's biggest headache when EURO 2024 begins is the central midfield position to partner Declan Rice. The Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment has failed miserably. Conor Gallagher was only used for 45 minutes.

Mainoo’s performances in his three starts at EURO 2024 have shown that he is “The Chosen One”. Unfazed or unnerved, Mainoo is the embodiment of the Southgate era. Brave, courageous, and able to fulfil his potential.

Along with Declan Rice, Mainoo is the future of the Three Lions midfield, with or without Southgate. If Southgate is no longer the head coach of the England team, the successor will have to use Mainoo's ability and create conditions for him to develop and the Three Lions will benefit for another 10 years or so.

In the upcoming EURO 2024 final, Mainoo will face Rodri, arguably the best central midfielder in the world at the moment. Having played successfully in the FA Cup Final against Manchester City and been voted Man of the Match, Mainoo is not afraid of Rodri. The battle between Mainoo - Rice and Fabrián Ruiz - Rodri in the middle of the pitch is really interesting. Both central midfielders are in good form and whichever pair dominates the match will be the premise for the home team to win.

Only 19 years old but playing with great poise, calmness, courage, a bright future awaits Kobbie Mainoo.