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2007 FIFA U20 World Cup: Argentina’s Last Triumph

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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

 

3rd 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

 

 

 


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