This year's U-20 World Cup will kick off this Saturday (27th) in Chile.See the complete schedule and the groups here. And the tournament, with Argentina (six titles) and Brazil (five) as the biggest...
This year's U-20 World Cup will kick off this Saturday (27th) in Chile.
See the complete schedule and the groups here.
And the tournament, with Argentina (six titles) and Brazil (five) as the biggest champions, has helped reveal several stars since its first edition in 1977.
Here are five cases that OneFootball listed below.
Diego Armando Maradona
The first of Argentina's six trophies featured the talent of El Pibe de Oro.
He was voted the best player of the 1979 edition after scoring six times.
He only didn't celebrate more than his teammate in the Albiceleste, the current Internacional coach Ramón Díaz, who scored eight.
🗓 #OnThisDay in 1979
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) September 7, 2019
🇦🇷 @Argentina, featuring Diego Maradona, won the #U20WC 🏆
🏆 He went on to be a decent player 😏 pic.twitter.com/4kS5ZUiEuQ
Marco Van Basten
He won the Ballon d'Or three times (1988, 1989, and 1992).
And he was one of the greatest strikers of all time, even though he retired at just 28 after repeated injuries.
He made his mark with the Netherlands national team in the 1983 edition, held in Mexico.
🎂🎈 Happy birthday to @MarcoVanBasten who turns 55 today
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) October 31, 2019
🔙🇳🇱 #TBT to the @OnsOranje legend finding the net at the #U20WC in Mexico back in 1983 pic.twitter.com/J6tcWrp2VL
Ronaldinho Gaúcho
Who remembers Galvão Bueno being amazed by the still very young Ronaldinho against Venezuela in the 1999 Copa América?
The "look what he did, look what he did, look what he did" became historic.
But Ronaldinho had already caught attention months earlier during the World Cup held in Nigeria.
Brazil would fall to Uruguay in the quarterfinals.
But he stood out.
🇧🇷 Ronaldinho e suas peripécias na Copa Sub-20 de 1999 passando para lembrar que hoje tem Seleção na #U20WC 👊 💪 pic.twitter.com/5pI4tiviOV
— Copa do Mundo FIFA🏆 (@fifaworldcup_pt) May 21, 2023
Lionel Messi
He hadn't even completed a full season as a professional athlete with Barcelona when he played in the 2005 edition with Argentina.
He had nine games and one goal for Barça – that one after an assist from Ronaldinho Gaúcho.
But he made it clear in that World Cup what was to come.
Messi was the top scorer and best player of the tournament, leading Argentina to the title over Nigeria – including a win over Brazil in the semifinals.
🔙 عودة بالذاكرة
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) September 25, 2025
السحر كان موجوداً دائماً ✨⚽️
نسترجع معكم أهداف ميسي الرائعة في كأس العالم تحت 20 سنة 2005 🇦🇷🤩#كأس_العالم_تحت_20_سنة
#U20WC#LegendsInTheMakingpic.twitter.com/PWiTqQhkML
Haaland
He was still at the beginning of his career with RB Salzburg when he played in the 2019 edition in Poland.
And he made history by scoring NINE of Norway's TWELVE goals in the match against Honduras.
He was the top scorer thanks to the goals scored in a single game.
Norway didn't even make it to the knockout stage. But Haaland drew a lot of attention.
He would be confirmed as a Dortmund signing on December 29 of the same year to make a difference on the big European stages.
🧘♂️ Never forget that Erling Haaland scored 9️⃣ GOALS in a single #U20WC match 🤯
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) December 29, 2019
🖤💛 @BlackYellow are getting a Golden Boot winner 🥇👟 pic.twitter.com/VZZu91o8Wj
And there's MUCH more...
The list of players who stood out at World Cups is extensive.
Owen, Diego Simeone, Suárez, Cavani, Xavi, Iniesta, Lautaro Martínez, Agüero, D'Alessandro, Philippe Coutinho, Oscar, Pogba, and Griezmann also stood out playing in the tournament for their respective national teams.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
📸 Lars Baron - 2005 Getty Images
Category: General Sports
