Exactly 20 years have passed since Lionel Messi took his first steps into the limelight.
At the age of 17, he had been with Barcelona for four years and had played one friendly with the first team. Argentina knew little about him, but they had heard that he could be something special, and they knew Spain wanted him. And so they acted, seducing him to play for the land of his birth -- and the carrot they could dangle was the 2005 South American Under-20 Championship.
Messi was two years younger than everyone else and seemed half as tall. But in that U20 tournament in Colombia, it was instantly apparent that he was a special talent. Plenty of others on show were destined for great careers -- such as Fernandinho of Brazil, Radamel Falcao of Colombia, and Diego Godín of Uruguay.
But, metaphorically at least, Messi stood head and shoulders above the others. He was on the fast-track to greatness, and in the middle of the following year, he would be playing in his first World Cup. And it was at the U20 tournament that all this started. It is no exaggeration to say that the road to triumph at the World Cup in Qatar started in Colombia precisely 20 years ago.
The current version of the tournament has just finished in nearby Venezuela. It would clearly be unfair to expect a Messi every time, especially with many South Americans of this age group already in Europe and not necessarily released by their clubs. But there were plenty of fine prospects on show, some of whom are on their way to top-class careers, both with major clubs and with their own national teams.
After losing their opening group game 6-0 to Argentina, Brazil had to fight their way into the second stage. And then, with more raw power and good goalkeeping than inspired football, they ended up winning the title. They will be joined later this year in the Under-20 World Cup by Argentina, Colombia and Paraguay, as well as Chile, who will host the competition.
Football at this level, though, is more about developing individual players than teams. And so, who were the real success stories of the tournament? Were there any others who, 20 years after Messi, might use the South American Under-20s as a springboard to next year's senior World Cup?
Néiser Villarreal, FW, 19, Millonarios, Colombia
Colombia certainly had the find of the competition in Villarreal a player who spells his name as 'Neyser' on the back of his shirt as a tribute to Neymar. But the young Colombian is a different kind of striker, a centre-forward who stands out not for flicks and tricks but for simple and direct efficiency.
He was the tournament top scorer with eight goals, mostly bashed in off his right foot. But he is not just a finisher. What caught the eye about him is his sleek versatility. He could be played in behind the defensive line, or he could drop deeper and combine, for which he came up with a few assists. One of them, a defence-splitting pass that set up a goal against Chile, was worthy of Messi himself.
Currently with Millonarios in Colombia -- though well and truly in interest of numerous clubs -- Villarreal could be fast-tracked into the senior squad. Centre-forward has been a problem position for Colombia and manager Nestor Lorenzo does not seem convinced that, for all his undoubted ability, Jhon Durán is a long-term solution. Colombia could certainly do worse than have a look at Villarreal, and it will be fascinating to follow his progress.
Felipe Longo, GK, 19, Corinthians, Brazil
Brazil's triumph was that of physical strength rather than imaginative football -- a competition of this nature, packing so many games into a short space -- tends to favour the more physically developed teams, and that certainly applied to Brazil.
Goalkeeper Longo made all the difference in the decisive second round. He was making vital saves while opposing keepers were making alarming mistakes. However, the Corinthians youngster faces a huge challenge getting a game for his club, reflecting the fact that Brazil has become an excellent producer of goalkeepers.
Pedro Henrique, MF, 19, Zenit St. Petersburg, Brazil
As far as the outfield players are concerned, the playmaker nicknamed Pedrinho was the stand-out. The stocky No.10 had to sacrifice himself for the side, covering lots of ground and having to hold the ball up to wait for support. He showed touches of class, and his delivery from set pieces was good.
However, he faces plenty of competition to get into the senior squad, and his situation is probably not helped by playing for Zenit in Russia, where it is currently easy to be out of sight and out of mind.
Claudio Echeverri, FW, 19, Manchester City, Argentina
The main star of the show, though, was little Argentina attacking midfielder Echeverri -- which is good news for Manchester City fans, because he joins the club now from River Plate. He ran out of steam a little in the last game and a half -- hardly surprising in a competition that forces players through nine games in three weeks -- but he left plenty of splendid memories.
An electric figure, he is nicknamed "El Diablito' (The Little Devil, which is a homage to one-time Bolívia star Marco Etcheverry) and he impresses with the breadth of his talent. He is a short-space dribbler who can also see the early pass and is full of ideas and inspiration at pace.
It would be no surprise to see City's new boy as the sorcerer's apprentice alongside Messi in the 2026 World Cup.
Why does it matter?
However, more than any results achieved at the level, the primary objective of the U20 tournament is to produce players for the future of the senior side.
This might seem obvious. But it took a fair while for this way of thinking to permeate the planet. Take, for example, the final of last year's European Championship. Both coaches -- Spain's Luis de la Fuente and England's Gareth Southgate -- had come through the youth structure of their country. And this was reflected in the team selection.
With England, for example, the sole historical criteria for selection had always been performances in top-flight football. Under Southgate, this changed. Those who had done well with the national team at youth level could be fast-tracked to the senior side, just as happened to Messi all those years ago. This systematic use of the U20 side was pioneered and perfected in South America.
The key moment was 30 years ago, when José Pékerman took charge of Argentina's youth setup. He came in with a comprehensive project. He would not merely receive youngsters from the clubs and take them to international tournaments, but he would use the national team structure to identify players and develop them, on and off the field.
Argentina won the U20 World Cup in 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2007. More importantly, from Juan Roman Riquelme through to Messi and Sergio Agüero, they kept producing players for the senior side.
Uruguay took it even further when Óscar Tabárez took over as coach in 2006. He had thought long and hard about the effects of the global market on such a small nation. It would inevitably mean that good Uruguayan players would move abroad at an ever earlier age. The solution, then, was to secure the long-term through the U20s.
Wherever they were in the world, they would always be Uruguayans. Back in 2006, it was generally assumed that Uruguay's days as a footballing power were long gone. They have since reclaimed their place at the top table -- based largely upon fine work at U20 level. Luis Suárez and Edinson Cavani came through the U20 tournament in 2007, and Uruguay are now the reigning world champions at that level.
The rest of the continent has been inspired to do something similar. Back in 2017, Venezuela went all the way to the final of the U20 World Cup and there is still a hope that this generation will carry the team through to its senior World Cup debut in North America next year. Ecuador were South American champions in 2019, finished third in that year's World Cup and several players from that team were on senior duty in Qatar in 2022.
And imagine that you are the coach of Paraguay. The senior squad might be spread all over Europe, the Americas, and maybe even Asia. How do you compare performances in such different leagues when the time comes to select the squad? The answer: if in doubt, use displays with the U20s as a reference.