Eight years after their last FIFA U-20 World Cup triumph, Brazil lifted the trophy for the fifth time in front of record-breaking crowds at Colombia 2011.
FIFA.com looks back on Egypt 2009, a tournament that witnessed the hosts break a host of records and Ghana's superb Black Satellites make history.
Making history is not exactly new to Egypt. This is a nation built on,
and made legendary by, the extraordinary achievements of an ancient
civilisation. It should hardly come as a surprise, therefore, that
Egypt's hosting of the FIFA U-20 World Cup should bring about of a new
chapter of football history.
After losing out to the USA in their first match, Argentina
never looked back as they laid claim to a fifth title at the
fifteenth instalment of the FIFA World Youth Championship.
Pre-tournament sensation Lionel Messi could only look on hopefully
from the bench while his mates struggled against the Americans in
their opener. But after coming on at the half, he made an immediate
impact and never spent another minute off the pitch.
2003 ended on a high note for Brazil, as the youth team
capped a splendid 2002/2003 season with a world title triumph in
the United Arab Emirates. What with the 2002 senior title and the
U17 success in Finland, the harvest has been quite simply
exceptional in scale.
With a highly flexible 3-5-2 formation, José Pekerman's
Argentina dominated from start to finish and ran out deserving
winners of this tournament with seven wins from seven games.
Spain put an end to South American supremacy in the FIFA
World Youth Championship, Brazil and Argentina having carved up the
three previous tournaments between them.
José Pekerman's charges made it two FIFA World Youth
Championship titles in a row in Malaysia, overcoming Hungary,
Canada, England, Brazil, Ireland Republic and Uruguay along the
way. Technically and tactically outstanding, the Albiceleste
deployed a floating 3-5-2 formation which constantly created a
threat on the flanks and left no space at the back.
Some 16 years after Maradona's supremely gifted
generation lifted this trophy in 1979, another vintage crop of
young Argentines came along. The '95 side may have been less
talented individually than their elders, but José Pekerman's
squad were a well-oiled winning machine nonetheless: solid in
defence, efficient in the middle of the park and tactically
mature.
Brazil became the first team to win three FIFA World Youth
Championship titles after their triumphs in 1983 and 1985. In doing
so they also brought the trophy back to South America for the first
time since 1985.
The 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship in Chile was graced by
a terrific Yugoslavia team. Mirko Josic's superb side
deservedly lifted the trophy after regaling the crowds throughout
the competition with a fanciful and effective display of
footballing genius.
Brazil became the first nation to win two consecutive FIFA
World Youth Championships when they triumphed at USSR '85. Once
again, the artistry and tactical superiority of the Auriverde wooed
the public and exasperated opposition defences.
Bookmakers' favourites Brazil, so unstoppable in the
CONMEBOL qualifiers with six wins and a draw, deservedly ran out
winners of the 1983 tournament in Mexico.
The very first FIFA World Youth Championship was won by a
well-organised and sporadically brilliant Soviet outfit, whose
match-winners Sergey Baltacha, Andrey Bal and Vladimir Bessonov
came through when it mattered most.
