Lars Ricken backs Borussia Dortmund's U-17 World Cup winning trio for success

Lars Ricken has heaped praise on highly rated Borussia Dortmund trio Paris Brunner, Charles Herrmann and Almugera Kabar; and is backing them to gain plenty of confidence from their recent triumph at the U-17 World Cup.

Germany won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia earlier this month, beating France in the final. Borussia Dortmund trio Paris Brunner, Charles Herrmann and Almugera Kabar played a crucial role in the team's success; Brunner was named the player of the World Cup, while Herrmann also made a big impact before his injury, and Kabar netted the tournament-winning penalty.

The trio are rated very highly at Borussia Dortmund - Brunner has already had his first taste of the senior team and is now in line for a professional contract. And BVB director Lars Ricken believes that the World Cup triumph will give them plenty of confidence.

In an interview with Ruhr Nachrichten, the BVB youth centre director said, "It's an experience that nobody can take away from them. I won the U17 European Championship myself. I still get goosebumps today when I think about it. No matter what successes they go on to have, they will never forget it."

"It was also extremely important for their self-confidence; Charles [Herrmann] was named player of the match twice. You can see how highly Almugera [Kabar] is regarded by the DFB from the fact that he was injured for months before the World Cup, only took part in one training session with us and then flew to Indonesia. You only do that with a player you really value. So it's all the more wonderful that he scored the decisive penalty. It's a shame that Kjell Wätjen wasn't there, he had to miss the tournament for school reasons."

Paris Brunner, Charles Herrmann and Almugera Kabar, as well as Kjell Wätjen were also part of the Germany squad that won the U-17 European Championship in June. All four players have also featured regularly for the Borussia Dortmund U-19s this season.