England Under-20s celebrating their World Cup win in South Korea in 2017. To the left is a West Ham crest.
Credit: Imago
Danny Wright
Mon 20 October 2025 14:58, UK
Not many West Ham fans will have realised that Morocco won the Under-20s World Cup in Chile on Sunday night.
The North Africans beat six-time winners Argentina 2-0 in the final in Santiago to lift the Under-20s World Cup for the first time, while also becoming the second African side to achieve such a feat.
The West Ham faithful can be forgiven for not keeping track of that tournament, but some will remember in 2017 when England’s Under-20s won it for the first time in a 1-0 victory over Venezuela.
Leeds’ Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored the only goal in the final in Suwon, South Korea, but the team that took to the field that day was littered with talent that’s now commonplace in the Premier League and top leagues across Europe.
Although West Ham pride themselves on their youth production, there were no young Hammers in the squad at the time, but one thing has led to another to see Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side starring one of those 2017 winners.
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Kyle Walker-Peters almost cost England U20s victory over Venezuela in 2017
West Ham signed Kyle Walker-Peters in July on a free transfer after he was released by Southampton.
The full-back has spent five years on the books at St Mary’s after arriving on the south coast from Tottenham, where he started his career, in 2020.
Graham Potter, who’s since been sacked by West Ham, was thrilled with Walker-Peters‘ arrival, saying: “We’re really pleased that Kyle has agreed to join us. He is a player I’ve always thought highly of and been impressed by whenever he has faced one of my teams.
Kyle Walker-Peters' stats in the Premier League since joining West Ham.
Credit: Imago/Sofascore
*“He has a really good pedigree, a top professional who has established himself as a respected Premier League player and still has his best years in front of him.*“
The versatile 28-year-old has since made seven appearances in all competitions for the Irons, playing mainly as a right-back.
He played all 90 minutes of England U20s’ 1-0 win over Venezuela, crowning what was then the national team’s biggest international title since the men’s team won the 1966 World Cup.
Walker-Peters did concede a penalty in the second half after a foul on Adalberto Penaranda. Then-Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman spared the full-back’s blushes, though, by saving Penaranda’s spot-kick.
Who else was in the England U20s squad that won 2017 World Cup?
Edson Alvarez and Issa Diop were the other two players in the tournament, playing for Mexico U20s and France U20s, respectively, who joined West Ham later in their careers.
Alvarez left West Ham to join Fenerbahce on loan in the summer but little would he have known at the time that he and Walker-Peters would end up playing for the Hammers in the Premier League when they faced each other in the quarter-finals, with England winning 1-0.
Player Club then Club now
Freddie Woodman Newcastle Liverpool
Jonjoe Kenny Everton PAOK
Fikayo Tomori Chelsea AC Milan
Jake Clarke-Salter Chelsea QPR
Kyle Walker-Peters Tottenham West Ham
Lewis Cook Bournemouth Bournemouth
Josh Onomah Tottenham None
Kieran Dowell Everton Rangers
Dominic Solanke Chelsea Tottenham
Ademola Lookman Everton Atalanta
Dominic Calvert-Lewin Everton Leeds
England U20s starting line-up vs Venezuela in 2017 and their clubs, then and now.
Paul Simpson was the manager of the England U20s squad at the time and his squad was largely focused on a few select clubs, with five Everton stars making the cut, three from Chelsea and two from Liverpool.
There were no West Ham players in the whole competition at that time.
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