It was in 2004 that Simon Clifford boldly predicted that the England team would eventually comprise players who had been moulded by the coaching techniques of his Brazilian Soccer Schools. Tomorrow night in Amsterdam, Micah Richards is poised to provide the best evidence yet that his audacious vision was not simply the dream of a delusional fan.
If Richards, 18, plays any part in the friendly against Holland, he will become not only the youngest defender to represent England but also the first senior international footballer to have graduated from Clifford's worldwide network of soccer schools.
Southampton's former head of sports science can still vividly remember the day he first met an 11-year-old Richards. "I wanted to access areas where people were disenfranchised from football," said Clifford, "and I went into Chapeltown, which is one of the more challenging areas of Leeds. They had no football for the young people but a guy called Phil Harding was friends with Micah's family and introduced us."
Clifford's soccer schools work on the premise that if Brazil produces the best footballers, it is sensible to train English footballers in a similar way. The emphasis, therefore, is on developing individual technique and skills at a young age. "The first things we work on are the technical and the physical," Clifford added. "Micah was only different from the others in that he was very strong, powerful and quick. But he worked very hard at developing his physical attributes.
"I think Micah would be playing football no matter who had got to handle him because he has gifts from God but I certainly think we helped him on the technical side. I think his best position will eventually be centre midfield. People haven't seen yet what he can do on the ball.
"He also has speed, strength and fantastic speed endurance which means that he will be just as quick at the end of the game as he is at the start. Steve McClaren has said that he is one of a new breed of player."
Richards was first spotted by Oldham and that led to an invitation to join the Manchester City academy. He continued to attend Clifford's soccer schools and went on to play for England at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-19 level. After impressing for City's reserves he made his Premiership debut against Arsenal in October last year and has established himself as a first-team regular this season.
If he plays tomorrow, he will become the seventh youngest England player, behind players such as Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. Richards, though, has not forgotten his background in Brazilian Soccer Schools and his father, Lincoln, is such a supporter of Clifford's methods that he continues to train a weekly class in Chapeltown.
"Lincoln is a huge influence on Micah," said Clifford. "I think we have played a small part in his development but the key player has been his dad. I saw the same when I worked with Theo Walcott at Southampton with his dad, Don.
"Micah is not the sort to get carried away with his success at all. He is similar to his dad, and Lincoln still drives a mini-bus around for the lads at the soccer schools on a Sunday even though his son is playing for City in the Premiership."
Clifford says that Richards' down-to-earth personality should not disguise a lack of confidence. "There is a difference between having an ego and what I would call 'ego-strength'," he said. "That is when you have a strong, firm and unshakeable belief in yourself and that is something you can sense in Micah.
"When he got into the first team at Manchester City he said, 'I won't be going back to the reserves' and I think that impressed [the manager] Stuart Pearce. I have met quite a few successful people from different walks of life and I would say Micah is one of the least likely to be affected by all the celebrity stuff that can come with football."
Clifford remains confident that his training methods can transform English football, although he stresses that it will take many more years before the full impact of his schools - which begin with "Socatots" classes for toddlers - will be felt. "It's terrific for everyone at the soccer schools to see Micah's success," he said. "We are thinking in the long term with what we do and I still believe we can achieve our goals."