For more than four decades, during which 22 editions of the Youth World Cup were held, the tournament was a “factory and exhibition” for future stars, which made it the focus of attention of many clubs and even coaches of the first teams in the countries that participate in this world championship.
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And the tournament turned from just a goal and goal for the participating teams, as well as for the players looking for victories to climb to the podium, into a means and method for exploring future talents. stadiums during the years following their appearance in the Youth World Cup.
Maradona.. Messi.. Xavi.. Bebeto.. Pogba.. Haaland; These players and others left a clear mark in the world of the round witch through the World Cup for youth, and the World Championship was an important starting point or station in the first years of their prominent and fruitful football career.
The late Argentine star Diego Armando Maradona is at the forefront of the players who left a clear mark through the World Youth Championships.
Maradona led his country to win the title of the second edition, which was hosted by Japan in 1979, so that this tournament was among the factors that contributed to the creation of the legend of this famous star, who was crowned years later with the first team in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Maradona won the Golden Ball award for the best player in the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship and came second in the list of top scorers in the same edition of the tournament, after scoring six goals against eight goals for his colleague Ramon Diaz.
Throughout the history of the tournament, 3 other players from Argentina won the Golden Ball award in the Youth World Cup, namely Javier Saviola in 2001, Lionel Messi in 2005 and Sergio Aguero in 2007, and the title of top scorer belonged to each of them in the same version, as was the title of the tournament for the youth of Tango in each of the three versions.
Messi, Saviola and Aguero made a wonderful history throughout their football career after the emergence of their star during the Youth World Cup, which was one of the reasons for their fame in the early years of their football career.
The situation is not much different for the Brazilian stars, of whom the World Youth Championship produced many of them and introduced them to the world of fame in the world football arena, among them Adriano in the 1993 edition, Caio in 1995, Paulo Silas in 1985 and Henrique Almeida in 2011, and each of them won the Golden Ball in 2011. same copy.
Other players such as Dani Alves, who finished third in the list of the best players in the 2003 edition in the Emirates, have also emerged from the samba stars throughout the history of the Youth World Cup, to write in the following years a wonderful history in the ranks of Barcelona and the first Brazilian national team.
There is also Giovanni Elber, who won second place in the list of the best players in the 1991 Youth World Cup, and who is considered one of the most prominent scorers throughout the history of the German League.
Arab football stars had a good share of fame through the Youth World Cup. Where the championship presented a number of unique Arab talents to the world; Like the Emirati Ismail Matar, who was crowned with the Golden Ball award for the best player in the 2003 edition, and who toured the courts of the round witch for many years after this edition.
The first edition of the tournament witnessed the emergence of the star of the former Iraqi player, Hussein Saeed, who finished second in the list of scorers for that edition, which was hosted by Tunisia in 1977, and the Egyptian Taher Abu Zaid achieved the same achievement in the 1981 edition in Australia, noting that he shared the top scorer list in the tournament with Australian Mark Kosas. and other players from West Germany with four goals each.
The past 22 editions also witnessed the brightness of many European football stars, such as the Yugoslavian Zvonomir Boban, the French Gabriel Cisse, Paul Pogba, David Trezeguet, Alexandre Lacazette, the Serbian Sergei Milinkovic Savic, the Croatian Davor Suker, the Spaniard Fernando Llorente, and finally the Norwegian Erling Haaland, who won the Golden Boot award for the top scorer of the last edition in 2019 in Poland.
The history of the tournament was not without the imprints of the stars of Africa and Asia. Foremost among them is Mali Seydou Keita, winner of the Golden Ball for best player in the 1999 edition in Nigeria, Dominic Adiyiah, the Ghanaian star, winner of the same award and the title of top scorer in the 2009 edition in Egypt, and Mali Adama Traore, winner of the Golden Ball also in the 2015 edition in New Zealand, in addition to Nigerian stars John Obi Mikel and Taye Tayo. Who shined in the 2005 World Cup in the Netherlands.
The Japanese Daisuke Sakata was second in the tournament’s top scorer list in the 2003 edition in the UAE, and South Korean Lee Kang-in won the Golden Ball award for best player in the last edition in 2019.
