Wednesday, Oct 16, 2013
Dubai: Some of the biggest stars in world football got their first taste of the bright international lights at the Fifa Under-17 World Cup. Before the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Ronaldinho, Kanu, Xavi, Landon Donovan and Cesc Fabregas went on to become household names, they were just nervous teenagers chasing the dream.
Some of these top stars this week shared their memories of the junior showpiece and passed on some advice for the next generation of stars-to-be, who will line up in the UAE for the 15th Fifa U-17 World Cup from Thursday.
“It was a long time ago, but I remember the tournament like it was yesterday,” retired goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri told Fifa.com about the 1989 edition in Scotland, where his Argentina lost in the quarter-finals to Luis Figo’s impressive Portugal. “It was like a dream come true and the first time I was able to pull on the shirt of my country and play for my colours. It was a World Cup for Argentina and the thrill was huge.”
Iker Casillas is another net-minder whose road to glory began at the Under-17s. Before he became virtually canonised by Real Madrid’s Bernabeu faithful and the first Spanish player in history to hoist the World Cup in Johannesburg in 2010, Casillas represented his country on a semi-final run in Egypt in 1997. He wasn’t the team’s only star in the making, either, as Barcelona and La Roja ace Xavi was handling the play-making duties.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Casillas said, before turning his attentions to the next generation. “Even if they’re already playing for their clubs, they have to throw themselves into the tournament and have the highest hope. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Fast-forward to 2001 and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago were the setting for the U-17 extravaganza, a tournament studded with future stars including Fernando Torres, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. “Just to take part in a world tournament at that age is so special, so you can imagine what it was like to win it,” said Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who finished top scorer for champions France and was named as the tournament’s best player.
“It opened so many doors for me — it really changed my life. We went from being nobodies to household names.”
Mexico’s Giovani dos Santos, a veteran of his team’s victory in Peru in 2005, said: “Winning the title was a dream come true for me and for Mexico. It was our first world title as a country and everyone welcomed us home as heroes. We brought such joy to the people and it was amazing.”
Danny Welbeck, England’s star from Korea 2007 who is currently playing for the senior side as well as with his club Manchester United, added: “It was a great experience. It was a good chance for us to get away and test ourselves against players from different countries and different parts of the world. We all benefitted from it. There’s nothing better than to represent your country, especially at such a young age.”
Staff Report
Gulf News 2013. All rights reserved.
