2007 FIFA U20 World Cup: Argentina’s Last Triumph

 

The 2007 FIFA U20 World Cup remains one of Argentina’s most memorable editions, as it marked the last time the Albiceleste lifted the coveted trophy. Since then, the once-dominant youth powerhouse has struggled to replicate that success — not even reaching a semifinal.

The tournament in Canada also marked the fourth occasion in which Argentina excelled both collectively and individually. Once again, their talismanic forward swept both major individual awards — the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot. With the exception of 1979, when Diego Maradona was named the best player and his strike partner Ramón Díaz claimed the top scorer award, Argentina produced three double winners: Javier Saviola in 2001, Lionel Messi in 2005, and Sergio Agüero in 2007. All three went on to shine at senior level, especially El Diego and La Pulga.

Facts and Figures

The 2007 edition was filled with off-pitch drama and record-breaking moments, making it one of the most eventful tournaments in U20 history:

* The competition ran from 30 June to 22 July.

* Six host cities were chosen: Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Montreal.

* A total of 950,000 tickets were sold even before the opening match, with more than one million eventually snapped up — a record at the time.

* The overall attendance of 1,195,299 set a new U20 World Cup record, surpassing the 1983 tournament in Mexico.

* Controversy struck when Nigeria accused FIFA of racial bias following their 0–4 defeat to Chile in the quarterfinals.

* Chile were again at the centre of chaos in the semifinal against Argentina, when Arturo Vidal and his teammates lost their temper after two red cards and seven yellows. They accused referee Wolfgang Stark of favouring the hosts, leading to a post-match scuffle that involved police intervention.

* Jordan, North Korea, New Zealand, Congo, and Gambia made their tournament debuts.

Surprise Packages Shine

Alongside Argentina’s dominance, several mid-tier nations from various confederations stole the spotlight. Chile, the Czech Republic, and Austria all made it to the semifinals, while giants like Brazil, Spain, Uruguay — led by the young duo Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani — and the USA with their poster boy Freddy Adu, failed to impress.

Chile beat Portugal and Nigeria in the knockout rounds before falling 0–3 to Sergio Agüero’s Argentina in the semis. Austria, meanwhile, edged past Gambia and the USA before bowing out in the last four. The Czech Republic had an impressive run, eliminating Japan, Spain, and Austria to reach the final — only to be undone by Argentina’s power.

Though Martin Fenin gave the Czechs a shock lead, goals from Agüero and Mauro Zárate turned the game on its head. The Albiceleste lifted their sixth U20 world title — the last of an era that defined Argentina’s golden youth 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
Chile	Spain	Mexico
Austria	Zambia	Gambia
RD Congo	Uruguay	Portugal
Canada	Jordan	New Zealand

Grup D	Grup E	Grup F
USA	Argentina	Japan
Poland	Czech Rep	Nigeria
Brasil	North Korea	Costa Rica
South Korea	Panama	Scotland

** = penalties

* = extra time

Round of 16:

-          Austria vs Gambia 2-1

-          USA vs Uruguay 2-1*

-          Spain vs Brasil 4-2*

-          Japan vs Czech Rep 2-2 (3-4)**

-          Chile vs Portugal 1-0

-          Zambia vs Nigeria 1-2

-          Argentina vs Poland 3-1

-          Mexicovs RD Congo 3-0

Quarterfinals:

-          Austria vs USA 2-1*

-          Spain vs Czech Rep 1-1 (3-4)**

-          Chile vs Nigeria 4-0

-          Argentina vs Mexico 1-0

Semifinal:

-          Austria vs Czech Rep 0-2

-          Chile vs Argentina 0-3

 

3^rd place Playoff: Chile vs Austria 1-0

Final: Argentina vs Czech Rep 2-1

Top scorer: Sergio Aguero (Argentina) – 6 gol

MVP: Sergio Aguero (Argentina)

From Youth to Stardom

Canada 2007 undoubtedly marked the birth of a golden generation across several nations. It wasn’t just Argentina, the eventual champions, who produced future stars, but also Uruguay and Chile — the breeding grounds of Luis Suárez and Alexis Sánchez, whose rise would later inspire their countries’ Copa América triumphs between 2011 and 2016, as well as strong World Cup campaigns.

Beyond South America, teams like Costa Rica, North Korea, and Panama also benefited from the spark of their young talents, many of whom played key roles in helping their nations qualify for and impress at senior World Cups between 2010 and 2018.

Here are some of the standout players from the 2007 U20 World Cup who went on to shine at senior level:

Players	World Cup editions (senior)
Gerard Pique (Spain)	2010, 2014, 2018
Juan Mata (Spain)	2010, 2014
Martin Caceres (Uruguay)	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Edison Cavani (Uruguay)	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Luis Suarez (Uruguay)	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Sergio Romero (Argentina)	2010, 2014
Federico Fazio (Argentina)	2018
Ever Banega (Argentina)	2018
Gabriel Mercado (Argentina)	2018
Sergio Aguero (Argentina)	2010, 2014, 2018
Angel Di Maria (Argentina)	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez (Argentina)	2022
Gabriel Torres (Panama)	2018
Armando Cooper (Panama)	2018
Ri Jun-il (North Korea)	2010
Ri Chol-Myong (North Korea)	2010
Park Song-chol (North Korea)	2010
Kim Kum-il (North Korea)	2010
Kim Kyong-il (North Korea)	2010
Asmir Begovic (Canada/Bosnia Herzegovina)	2014
Christopher Toselli (Chile)	2014
Mauricio Isla (Chile)	2010, 2014
Gary Medel (Chile )	2010, 2014
Alexis Sanchez (Chile)	2010, 2014
Arturo Vidal (Chile)	2010, 2014
Carlos Carmona (Chile)	2010, 2014
Willian (Brasil)	2014, 2018
David Luiz (Brasil)	2014
Marcelo (Brasil)	2014, 2018
Jo (Brasil)	2014
Renato Augusto (Brasil)	2018
Ki Seung-yeung (South Korea)	2010, 2014, 2018
Park Joo-ho (South Korea)	2014
Lee Chung-yong (South Korea)	2010, 2014
Wojciech Szczesny (Poland)	2018, 2022
Gregorz Krychowiak (Poland)	2018, 2022
Michael Bradley (USA)	2010, 2014
Jozy Altidore (USA)	2010, 2014
Efrain Juarez (Mexico)	2010
Hector Moreno (Mexico)	2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Pablo Barrera (Mexico)	2010
Carlos Vela (Mexico)	2010, 2018
Giovanni Dos Santos (Mexico)	2010, 2014, 2018
Javier Hernandez (Mexico)	2010, 2014, 2018
Aaron Clapham (NZL)	2010
Jeremy Brockie (NZL)	2010
Steven Vitoria (Portugal/Canada )	2022
Fabio Contreao (Portugal)	2010, 2014
Rui Patricio (Portugal)	2014, 2018, 2022
Giancarlo Gonzalez (Costa Rica)	2014, 2018
Jose Cubero (Costa Rica)	2014
Celso Borges (Costa Rica)	2014, 2018, 2022
David Myrie (Costa Rica)	2014
Kendall Waston (Costa Rica)	2018
Atsuto Uchida (Japan)	2010, 2014
Shinji Kagawa (Japan)	2014, 2018
Elderson Echiejile (Nigeria)	2014, 2018
Efe Ambrose (Nigeria)	2014
Ideye Brown (Nigeria)	2010