By Tim Vickery

Under-17 Championship results

This column has been saying for some time that the Mexicans are coming.

They have now arrived - at Under-17 level at least.

Mexico won the Under-17 World Championship in Peru with a 3-0 win over Brazil after beating Holland 4-0 in the semi-final.

That is a very emphatic way to win a title, and the Mexicans fully deserve their celebrations.

With the economic power to import good quality foreign players and coaches, Mexican football has made huge progress in recent years - especially in tactical terms.

Mexican sides can often switch systems in accordance with the opposition or the circumstances of the game.

Collectively strong, at the highest level they have sometimes lacked the type of individual flair that can tip the balance in the course of a match.

This was not a problem in Peru - and here Mexico owes a debt to their opponents in the final.

The star of the title-winning team, Giovani Dos Santos, is the son of a Brazilian who moved to Mexican football in the 1980s.

Dos Santos did not score a single goal in the championship. Even so, he was the brains behind his side's attack.

With his blistering acceleration over the first five yards and his outstanding vision of the game he spread fear in opposing defences and set up crucial goals for his team-mates.

Dos Santos has attracted interest from Manchester United and Arsenal

Like Lionel Messi of Argentina, star of this year's World Cup at Under-20 level, Dos Santos is on the books of Spanish giants Barcelona, who snapped him up after watching him in a youth tournament four years ago.

The rest of the Mexican squad are all still based at home and there are some excellent prospects among them.

Midfielder Jorge Hernandez has a splendid range of passes, busy Cesar Villaluz is always a threat operating behind the front two, the opportunistic Carlos Vela was the tournament top scorer and Ever Guzman, who scored some terrific goals in four consecutive matches, was a wonderful option to have on the bench.

Looking to the future - which is surely the point of Under-17 football - all of these players now face a central dilemma in Mexican football.

Foreign players have done much to lift the level of the game. But there is a chance that foreign players will now block the progress of this title-winning generation.

Mexican football has proved that it is capable of producing talented young players, who now need to be developed with two things which are fundamental for youngsters - patience and opportunities.

There is always the temptation for Mexican clubs to take the short-term route and buy in ready made foreigners from, for example, Argentina.

This could interrupt the momentum of the Peru 2005 squad and leave their promise unfulfilled at senior level.

But if the foreign players leave a legacy of sons as skilful as Giovani Dos Santos, maybe Mexican football will see that as a fair trade.