David blazes to scoring prize

Spain striker David Rodríguez Sánchez's disappointment at his side's 2-1 defeat against Portugal in the final of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship may have been tempered somewhat by the fact he finished as the tournament's top scorer by a huge three-goal margin.

Four-goal semi
Only England's James Milner and David's compatriot Cases with three goals each got anywhere David's total, which was bolstered by an astonishing four goals in his side's 5-2 semi-final victory against Austria.

Not first choice
Interestingly, David did not begin the tournament as an automatic first-choice selection, sitting on the bench for his side's opening 2-0 win against Italy until the 62nd minute. Given a start in the next game against Israel he scored the second goal in a 3-0 win but returned to the bench for the 2-2 draw against England.

First-half hat-trick
In the semi-final against the Austrians his inclusion from the start was justified by first-half hat-trick, and when he was replaced in the 68th minute he had added a fourth goal to make it impossible for coach Juan Santisteban to leave him out of the final.

Deceptive power
In the Viseu showpiece David hauled Spain level with the Portuguese at 1-1 two minutes after half-time with a superb header, but could not ultimately prevent his side losing 2-1. Nevertheless, the deceptive power, lethal eye for goal and quicksilver pace that David demonstrated throughout the tournament have made him a hot commodity.

Torres comparison
Indeed, comparisons are already being made between David and another former star of Spain's youth ranks - David's Club Atlético de Madrid cub mate Fernando Torres, a 19-year-old who has already hit eleven goals in the Primera División this season.

'Long way to go'
"Raúl [González], [Andriy] Shevchenko and Torres are the players I look up to," David said. "But please don't compare me to him [Torres], I haven't achieved anything yet. I've still got a long way to go. I'm looking to improve step by step."

Positive omen
Twenty-seven goals for Atlético's reserve side last season was certainly a positive omen, and it may not be too long before David is knocking on the first-team door.

UEFA European Under-17 Championship top scorers: