Football
Dale Johnson, General Editor, ESPN FC 7y

Where are they now? England's 1993 World Youth Championship squad

On Thursday, England will play in the semifinals of the Under-20 World Cup for only the third time. 

In 1981, England finished fourth after losing to 1-0 Romania in the third/fourth place playoff in what was then known as the FIFA World Youth Championship. But their best performance to date came in 1993 when beating hosts Australia 2-1 to take third, after losing 2-1 to Ghana in the semis.

This time, coach Paul Simpson will look to lead the Young Lions to their first-ever final when they come up against Italy. 

But what happened to the stars of 1993, and how did their careers pan out?

1. Simon Sheppard (Goalkeeper, Watford)

Sheppard was second-choice goalkeeper at the finals, despite having the No. 1 jersey, and didn't make an appearance. His professional career was a short one, leaving Watford 12 months later having played 23 league games. A loan spell at Scarborough was followed by a two-year spell with Reading before he dropped into non-league football. He eventually moved into coaching in the United States, and since 2014 has been goalkeeping coach at Sacramento Republic FC in the United Soccer League.

Senior caps won: 0

2. Steve Watson (Defender, Newcastle United)

Watson, who played every minute for England in the finals, went on to have a distinguished Premier League career, playing 208 league games for Newcastle United and 125 top-flight matches for Everton. He also played for Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion before finishing his career in the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday. He made a total of 556 professional appearances for his various clubs, scoring 38 goals. Watson won 21 caps with England's Under-21s, and an England B cap, but never progressed to the senior side. He is now assistant manager at Macclesfield Town.

Senior caps won: 0

3. David Unsworth (Defender, Everton)

Unsworth started five of England's six matches, only being left out for their opening game of the tournament. Like Watson, he went on to be a dependable Premier League player, playing 304 Premier League games across two spells with Everton, winning the FA Cup in 1995. He also played for West Ham, Portsmouth, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United, Wigan, Burnley and Huddersfield, with a total of 509 games. He won one senior cap, against Japan at Wembley in 1995. Unsworth is now back at Everton managing their U23s.

Senior caps won: 1

4. Marvin Harriot (Defender, Luton)

Harriot made five appearances at the finals, three of those from the bench, but he never made it as a professional. He did make 36 league appearances for Bristol City, after also being on the books of Barnsley, before dropping into non-league football with Grays Athletic. Although he had a season back in the league with Cardiff City, he again could not break into their team and dropped back into semiprofessional football.

Senior caps won: 0

5. Ian Pearce (Defender, Chelsea)

Pearce, who started every match and scored once, might not have made it at Chelsea, making just four appearances, but he can boast a Premier League title medal after making 28 appearances in Blackburn Rovers' championship winning team of 1994-95. He also played for West Ham United, Fulham and Southampton before dropping out of the professional game with Kingstonian, bar a brief spell back in League Two with Lincoln City. Pearce played 286 professional games, and won three U21 caps, but never won a senior cap. He is now scouting manager for Brighton & Hove Albion.

Senior caps won: 0

6. Andy Myers (Defender, Chelsea)

Myers, who started four matches at the finals, spent eight years as a professional at Chelsea -- though mainly as a backup player. He can still boast winners' medals from the FA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup from his time at Stamford Bridge. He had a successful spell with Bradford City before short stints with Portsmouth, Colchester United and Brentford. He didn't earn any further representative honours with England. After joining Chelsea's coaching staff, he spent last season as assistant boss at Vitesse -- who have close ties with Chelsea -- in the Netherlands.

Senior caps won: 0

7. Chris Bart-Williams (Midfielder, Sheffield Wednesday)

Bart-Williams, who played every minute and scored once, went on to be a hugely popular player with Wednesday (where he was a runner-up in both Cup finals in 1993), and subsequently Nottingham Forest, where he won the second-tier title in 1997-98, playing 331 league games for the two clubs. After leaving Forest he played for Charlton Athletic, Ipswich Town, APOEL in Greece and Marsaxlokk in Malta. He won 16 U21 caps and one B cap, but never made the senior team although he did train with the squad. He moved to the United States and is now vice-president and technical director at International Elite Program, that provides sporting activities and opportunities for young people.

Senior caps won: 0

8. Darren Caskey (Midfielder, Tottenham Hotspur)

Captain Caskey, another ever-present, made 32 Premier League appearances for Spurs but it was at Reading where he made his name, playing 201 league games. He also had three successful years at Notts County but after 2004 spent almost all his career in non-league. In the summer of 1993 he went on to captain England to win the European Under-18 Championship, but never played for his country at any level after this. He is now football consultant at York City, who were relegated from the National League last season.

Senior caps won: 0

9. Nick Barmby (Midfielder, Tottenham Hotspur)

Barmby, who made three appearances, had one of the more successful professional careers of the squad. He made 89 Premier League appearances for Spurs before moving on to Middlesbrough and Everton. He then made the controversial jump across Stanley Park to Liverpool where he was part of the squad that won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup. He also played for Leeds and Nottingham Forest before finishing at his hometown club Hull City. Barmby won 23 senior caps, scoring four goals, and was in the squads for Euro 96 and Euro 2000. After a brief spell as Hull manager in 2011-12, he is now head coach of Barton Town Old Boys FC U19s. 

Senior caps won: 23

10. Jamie Pollock (Midfielder, Middlesbrough)

Pollock, who played every minute and scored one goal, will be best remembered for one of the most incredible own goals ever seen, which condemned his own club Manchester City to relegation to the third tier for the first time in their history. A solid if unspectacular midfielder, he featured in 155 league games for Boro and also played for Osasuna, Bolton Wanderers, Crystal Palace and Birmingham. He managed Spennymoor United and Spennymoor Town in the north-east, and is now the director of the Top Corner Sports complex in Middlesbrough. 

Senior caps won: 0

11. Alan Thompson (Midfielder, Newcastle United)

Thompson, who started every game, finally won his solitary England cap in 2004 some 11 years after playing for the U20s in Australia. His stay at Newcastle was brief before making his name at Bolton Wanderers. He went on to play for Aston Villa, Celtic, Leeds United and Hartlepool and can boast a host of honours: The second-tier title in 1996-97, four SPL championships, three Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups. He made 535 professional appearances, scoring 104 goals, and was known for the quality of his left-footed delivery. Many feel he should have won more senior caps but was discounted for playing in Scotland. Now assistant manager of Bury. 

Senior caps won: 1

12. Andy Johnson (Midfielder, Norwich City)

Johnson did not play a single minute in the finals, but he is not the player most know as a striker for Crystal Palace. The midfielder cost Nottingham Forest £2.2 million in 1997 and went on to play 150 league games for them and West Brom, and also played for Leicester City and Barnsley. He actually played senior international football for Wales, for whom he won 15 caps between 1998 and 2004. Johnson is no longer involved in football and is an electrician in the West Midlands. 

Senior caps (for England) won: 0

13. David Watson (Goalkeeper, Barnsley)

Watson, who was first-choice in Australia and played every game, was a one-club man as a professional and played over 200 games for Barnsley -- helping them to promotion to the Premier League in 1996-97. He was their No. 1 in their one top-flight season, but his career was effectively ended by a knee injury at the start of the 1998-99 campaign and he officially retired in 2001 when only 28. He has held many coaching positions at clubs and within the England ranks, and he is now working for Southampton. Watson won five U21 caps but never made the senior team.

Senior caps won: 0

14. Nicky Butt (Midfielder, Manchester United)

Butt is the most decorated player in the squad, despite playing just 21 minutes in a substitute appearance, with one Champions League, six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Intercontinental Cup to his name, as well as being in the 1997-98 PFA Premier League Team of the Year. He won the Championship with Newcastle in 2009-10, and also played for Birmingham, playing a total of 588 games. After ending his playing career with South China, he is now back at Manchester United as head of their successful youth academy. He won five U21 caps before making his senior debut against Mexico in March 1997. He was part of the 2002 World Cup squad -- and Pele named him one of the players of the tournament -- and for Euro 2004, though he didn't play due to injury, and won a total of 39 caps.

Senior caps won: 39

15. Julian Joachim (Striker, Leicester City)

Joachim, who made five appearances and scored the goal against Australia that secured third place, is best known for his career in the Premier League with Leicester and Aston Villa, for whom he scored a combined 64 league goals. But his career soon tailed off after joining Coventry in 2001, later having spells at Leeds United, Walsall, Boston United and Darlington before heading into a nomadic non-league career where he was still playing last season at the age of 42 for Newark Town in the Central Midlands League North Division. Joachim, who now runs his own football agency, won nine U21 caps but none for the seniors.

Senior caps won: 0

16. Adrian Mike (Striker, Manchester City)

Mike, who made one substitute appearance in the finals, played 16 Premier League games for Manchester City, scoring twice. But he never managed to settle at another league club, having spells at Bury, Stockport County, Hartlepool United and Lincoln City along with a host of non-league clubs. He retired from professional football in 2003. Mike was a personal trainer before going to law school in 2011, and he is now managing director at Falcona Private Jets in Manchester, which specialises in private jet and helicopter charter flights to major sporting events.

Senior caps won: 0

17. Ian Selley (Midfielder, Arsenal)

Selley, who played one game at the finals, spent five years as a pro at Arsenal and made 42 Premier League appearances. He has a 1993 FA Cup and League Cup double to his name, and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. But a serious leg break in February 1995 affected his career and he left the Gunners in 1997. Another leg break after just three matches for Fulham led to yet more time out of the game. Selley, who won three U21 caps, later joined Wimbledon and spent time on loan at Southend before dropping into non-league football. He has been head coach for Arsenal Soccer School Dubai since 2012.

Senior caps won: 0

18. Anthony Hughes (Defender, Crewe Alexandra)

Hughes made 23 appearances for Crewe between 1992 and 1994 but his professional career was ended at 21 by fractured discs in his spine. He went on to play non-league football before being forced to quit the game completely aged 26. Hughes played every minute of England's matches at the finals, and now runs a window cleaning business.

Senior caps won: 0

Total senior caps won: 64

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