READING FC teenager Danny Loader helped England win the Under 17s World Cup after a stunning comeback against Spain in the final.

Steve Cooper’s Young Lions found themselves 2-0 down in the clash in Kolkata, India.

But they hit back with five unanswered goals to win the prestigious trophy in front of 66,684 supporters at Salt Lake Stadium.

Loader, who was 16-years-old when he made his Reading first-team debut earlier this year, was an unused substitute in the final.

But he did feature twice in the tournament to become the first male Reading player to make it onto the pitch for England during a World Cup tournament.

The talented Royals Academy striker played the full 90 and scored twice in a comfortable win over Iraq during the group stages.

And he also came off the bench as England defeated USA 4-1 in the quarter finals to secure their passage into the semis.

Reading Chronicle:

Danny Loader in action for Reading FC.

Saturday’s win over Spain was sweet revenge for England who had lost to the same opponents on penalties in the U17 European Championship final in May.

It looked as though England might suffer a similar fate this time when Spain raced into a 2-0 lead following a Sergio Gomez brace.

But Liverpool’s Rhian Brewster, who scored a hat-trick in both the quarter and semi finals, gave the Young Lions a lifeline by pulling one back just before the break.

England then over-ran Spain in the second half with Morgan Gibbs-White drawing them level and Philip Foden scoring twice either side of a Marc Guehi strike.


Incredibly, Loader is the second Reading youngster to win a World Cup winner’s medal this year as goalkeeper Luke Southwood was part of the England U20 squad that triumphed in South Korea.