Kobbie Mainoo has taken the fast track to stardom in England and could end another incredible winning streak for Rodri
This was not part of the plan for England and Manchester United superstar Kobbie Mainoo.
Sixteen months is a long time in football, but Mainoo has made the time pass at the speed of light.
Cast your mind back to March 2023: 18-year-old Mainoo was coming on as a substitute in an England Under-19 qualifier against Hungary, having yet to start a Premier League game.
At the same time, Spain lost to Scotland in a match that would trigger Rodri74-match unbeaten run with club and country.
Somehow, Mainoo's path would cross with Rodri's at the end of that race, and they would battle it out on the biggest stage of all in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin on Sunday.
Mainoo's meteoric rise to the top of the game is remarkable enough given that he was barely considered a senior player at club level until November 2023.
In that fateful March, the Carrington academy graduate was barely on the fringes of Manchester United's first team, having recently made his senior debut against Charlton in the EFL Cup and appearing as a substitute in a Premier League win over Leicester.
For talented teens, this often marks the beginning of a steady rise to prominence.
Phil FodenFor example, he played at all youth levels in England, made his senior debut at the age of 20 and then spent years trying to establish a regular place in the team. Manchester City first team.
However, Mainoo skipped all that. He took the fast track and didn't even get time to play for England's under-21 team.
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The heroism of the teenager in the Victory in the semi-finals against Holland It was only his third full start for his country.
You would never have guessed if the first half of that game was your first experience with Mainoo.
Speaking at half-time, talkSPORT presenter Adrian Durham said: “This lad, who is 19 years and 82 days old, is the youngest player to play in the semi-finals of a major tournament for England.
“I really can't believe what I'm seeing, how mature he is.
“Consider the few games he has played for the first team at Manchester United.
“But he's playing like he belongs in a Euro semi-final in an England shirt.”
And England legend Stuart Pearce added: “It's maturity, it's confidence, it's good swagger.
“Give me the ball and I'll take care of it. To be honest, it's a question of quality.”
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And it's not the first time. Manchester United fans will tell you that he also dominated Liverpool's midfield in the FA Cup last season.
Having been at Old Trafford since the age of nine, an impressive breakthrough season for the Red Devils culminated in Mainoo scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final Against Manchester City.
In doing so, he broke Rodri's incredible 74-match unbeaten run for City – the longest unbeaten streak by a player in history.
At 28, the Manchester City midfielder is already a football legend, with four Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy in his cupboard.
He has been one of the most important members of the team that many consider to be the best in the history of English football.
And yet a man who has only just arrived on the same stage could now put a second dent in Rodri's legacy.
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Suddenly, Mainoo is heading into the biggest match of the football season as one of his nation's most important players.
Rodri remains unbeaten in 470 days with Spain and success in a major tournament with La Roja would help him become the best midfielder of his generation.
Time does not give Mainoo the right to share the same stage and fight for the same inheritance.
But sixteen months in the life of Mainoo prove that time means very little.
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