Zambia national team coach Wedson Nyirenda is not surprised by the success of the Under-20 side currently competing in the World Cup in South Korea, and has made a bold prediction for the senior national team.
Nyirenda has had a heavy hand in the development of the Under-20s, having been part of the delegation that took the team to the Cosafa Under-20 Championship crown in South Africa in December, and then the African Youth Championship title on home soil in March.
Zambia defeated Germany in a seven-goal thriller at the World Cup on Wednesday to book a quarter-final place against Italy on Monday, more sign of their stunning progress.
The likes of Fashion Sakala, Enock Mwepu and Emmanuel Banda have been some of the standout players at the tournament, providing the potential for an exciting new Golden Generation for the 2012 African champions.
As senior national team coach, Nyirenda has worked closely with his Under-20 counterpart Beston Chambeshi to provide fresh talent for Chipolopolo.
"When I came back from coaching in Mozambique I was given the task of rebuilding the senior national team," former Kaizer Chiefs forward Nyirenda tells KweséESPN. "So an important part of that is obviously the junior structures and it is something we have worked hard on.
"We put into place certain programmes to develop players with a specific goal of bringing them through to the senior side, and so far our objectives have been met.
"We are looking for a new Chipolopolo and it is obvious that in the coming years, that will come from the Under-20 side, so it is a team that we focused on quite intensely, through the Cosafa tournament in South Africa that we won, and our hosting of the African championship, where we were also crowned champions.
"Both were exciting tournaments for us in terms of how the team performed and that all suggests there is a very bright future for Zambian football, which we have proven again at the [Under-20] World Cup."
Nyirenda also makes a bold prediction given the success of the Under-20s and the early results of his 'new' senior national team.
"We are on the right path, everything is in motion," he adds. "In the next few years I believe we will be the best team in Africa."