Cardinal Vincent Nichols has been leading a global conference in London between police forces, church groups and Government officials to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking.
He said it was clear that support to stop the crime is growing.
The Santa Marta Group was meeting for the second time since its launch at the Vatican in April, when Pope Francis described trafficking as "an open wound on the body of contemporary society; a crime against humanity".
Cardinal Nichols said: "What struck me the most of all was the extent and the type of enticement and abuse of people that goes on in Africa according to these reports
"For example, there are schools for football excellence which get youngsters in and promise them a career in the Premier League, and as soon as they get to England they are enslaved.
"There seems to be almost no enticement that isn't being used.
"They come in search of a dream, but of course don't find it.
"There are plenty of people who are willing to entice them and sell them the dream in order to get them here.
"This is a global phenomenon, a global crisis."
Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe was also at the meeting and said it was essential there were relationships with other countries if the problem was to be tackled.
He said: "Often, people are trafficked at a young age believing that they are entering a better world, when in reality they are entering a far worse world from which they cannot escape."
The next meeting of the Santa Marta Group will be held in Madrid in October next year.