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2003 U20 World Cup: The Young Samba Carry On Ronaldo’s Legacy

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The 2003 U20 World Cup marked the continuation of Brazil’s footballing dominance, following the senior team’s World Cup triumph just a year earlier.

Inspired by the brilliance of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo in Japan and South Korea, the young Seleção arrived at the tournament without much fanfare but grew stronger as the competition went on. Led by Dani Alves, Marcos Paquetá’s side didn’t dazzle with the trademark samba flair of their seniors under Luiz Felipe Scolari. Instead, they relied on a more physical, disciplined style — built on a solid defence and deadly set pieces.

Facts and Figures

The tournament was originally scheduled for March 25 to April 16 but was postponed to November 27–December 19 due to the U.S. invasion of Iraq earlier that year.

* Four cities hosted the matches: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and Al Ain.

* Uzbekistan, Slovakia, Burkina Faso, and Panama made their debuts.

* For the first time, the tournament’s best player award went to an Asian footballer — the hosts’ own Ismail Matar.

Latin Flair Dominates the Final Four

Latin football ruled the desert in 2003. Three South American teams — Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia — reached the semifinals, joined by Spain, representing Europe’s Latin heritage. Both Brazil and Spain had to grind their way through the knockout rounds after finishing as runners-up in their groups.

The Seleção edged past Slovakia and arch-rivals Argentina, hammering Japan along the way, while Spain overcame Paraguay, Canada, and Colombia to reach the final.

The title decider was tense and cagey, with both sides creating chances but finding no breakthrough until the very end. With just three minutes left on the clock, Fernandinho rose highest to head home the only goal of the match — sealing Brazil’s triumph and cementing the new generation’s place in the nation’s footballing legacy.

Tournament Highlights

Group Stage final standings (The one in bold advanced to the knockout stage, the top two from each group, plus best third place)

Grup A

Grup B

Grup C

Burkina Faso

Argentina

Australia

Slovakia

Spain

Brasil

UEA

Mali

Canada

Panama

Uzbekistan

Czech Rep

Grup D

Grup E

Grup F

Japan

Ireland

USA

Colombia

Ivory Coast

Paraguay

Egypt  

Saudi Arabia

South Korea

England

Mexico

Germany

** = penalties

* = extra time

Round of 16:

-          Burkina Faso vs Canada 0-1

-          Paraguay vs Spain 0-1

-          Ireland vs Colombia 2-3*

-          Australia vs UEA 0-1

-          Japan vs South Korea 2-1*

-          Brasil vs Slovakia 2-1*

-          USA vs Ivory Coast 2-0

-          Argentina vs Egypt 2-1

Quarterfinals:

-          Canada vs Spain 1-2*

-          Colombia vs UEA 1-0

-          Japan vs Brasil 1-5

-          USA vs Argentina 1-2*

Semifinals:

-          Spain vs Colombia 1-0

-          Brasil vs Argentina 1-0

 

3rd place playoff: Colombia vs Argentina 2-1

Final: Brasil vs Spain 1-0

Top scorer: Eddie Johnson (USA) – 4 gol

MVP: Ismael Matar (UEA)

From Youth to Stardom

Compared to previous editions under the 24-team format, the 2003 U20 World Cup produced fewer players who went on to shine at senior level. Yet several names from the tournament went on to become key figures for both club and country over the years.

Among them are James Milner, former Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool man, and Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima, now with Strasbourg. There’s also Fernandinho, who enjoyed a long spell at Manchester City, Australia’s Mile Jedinak, Argentina’s Carlos Tevez, and the celebrated Barcelona trio of Andrés Iniesta, Dani Alves, and Javier Mascherano.

Here are some of the standout players from the 2003 U20 World Cup who later became stars at senior level:

 

Players

World Cup Edition (senior)

Daniel Yeboah (Ivory Coast)

2010

Arouna Kone (Ivory Coast)

2006

Sol Bamba (Pantai Gading)

2010

Alex Wilkinson (Australia)

2014

Mile Jedinak (Australia)

2010, 2014, 2018

Carl Valeri (Australia)

2010

Matt McKay (Australia)

2014

Michael Thwaite (Australia)

2014

Dani Alves (Brasil)

2010, 2014, 2022

Nilmar (Brasil)

2010

Jefferson (Brasil)

2014

Fernandinho (Brasil)

2014, 2018

Atiba Hutchison (Canada)

2022

Gabriel Gomez (Panama)

2018

Marek Cech (Slovakia)

2010

Kamil Kopunek (Slovakia)

2010

Javier Mascherano (Argentina)

2006, 2010, 2014, 2018

Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina)

2014

Carlos Tevez (Argentina)

2006, 2010

Andreas Iniesta (Spain)

2006, 2010, 2014, 2018

Juanfran (Spain)

2014

Robert Huth (Germany)

2006

Piotr Trochowski (Germany)

2010

Kim Young Kwang (South Korea)

2006

Oh Beom Seok (South Korea)

2010

Kim Jin Kyu (South Korea)

2006

Lee Ho (South Korea)

2006

Park Chu Young (South Korea)

2010, 2014

Edgar Barreto (Paraguay)

2006, 2010

Julio Dos Santos (Paraguay)

2006

Nelson Valdez (Paraguay)

2006, 2010

Eddie Johnson (USA)

2006

Bobby Convey (USA)

2006

Clint Dempsey (USA)

2006, 2010, 2014

Ricardo Clark (USA)

2006

Fredy Guarin (Colombia)

2014

Abel Aguilar (Colombia)

2014, 2018

Ahmed Fathy (Egypt)

2018

James Milner (England)

2010, 2014

Eiji Kawashima (Japan)

2010, 2014, 2018, 2022

Yasuyuki Konno (Japan)

2010, 2014

 


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