27 years ago, Ibagaza or Leo Biagini were becoming the best in the world, in their age category. Raúl, Denilson, Nuno Gomes or Viduka were also there

The news is dry, short, but it goes on its way, quickly, in the dispatches of the press agencies: “Due to the high risk of cholera and meningitis epidemics in two of the cities that will host games at the Under-20 World Championship, FIFA has decided to replace Nigeria with a country whose name will be communicated as soon as possible”. It has already entered the year 1995, the race is scheduled for April, what else can be done?

Then Qatar appears. “In two months we have everything ready, we can organize the competition without any problems” , reads the press release, so FIFA hits the nail on the head: April 13-28, 16 countries present.

“It was hot, really hot, even though we were at the beginning of April”, remembers, today, Miguel Angel Sanchez Muñoz , “Michel”, the coach of Girona. He was 19 years old when he stepped foot, for the first time, in Doha, but the details are hot even today: “You could die from the heat, the sweat was flowing on you even when you were sitting” . Spain has a beautiful band, with Ra ú l, with De la Pe ñ a, with Etxeberria, with Morientes.

They are shepherded by Andoni Goikoetxea. Pekerman ‘s Argentina presents itself with Juan Sorin, Biagini or Ibagaza , Brazil responds with Reinaldo, Ze Elias or Elder, Portugal comes with Beto, Nuno Gomes or Dani !

The matches are scheduled in three stadiums, incomparable with today’s, but nothing can be played before 17.15. Doha does not have air conditioning in the arenas. “No human form could train from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” says “Michel “. “We used to wake up and do nothing, just stay in the hotel after breakfast. We had arrived to prepare at night” , David Cordón comes with other details , at that time a player in the subsidiary team of Atletico Madrid, but who would gather, as a professional, over 330 games.

The football world may have forgotten, but the Qatar Under20 in 1995 was the first major competition that “spoilt” the calendar of a regular season: the big teams – like Real Madrid in Spain – did not get used to the thought of having to “give in” the stars his in full championship, so there were scandals until a week before departure. Raúl, who had made his debut, was absent… for a month.

“Qatar has been taking important steps ever since then, you could see that it was moving in terms of infrastructure. The fields were well-kept, not like today’s, but they gave the feeling that people were concerned about football. It is clear that we could not sense today’s development, but it was being worked on”, Goikoetxea completes . “I can’t say exactly what I was doing day by day, but I know that our attention was held by the guy walking around with a loudspeaker and calling people to prayer.”

Patru grupe a patru echipe. Primele două merg mai departe. Brazilia – Portugalia e întâia semifinală. 1-0, cu gol Caio, de la Sao Paulo, băiatul care avea să ajungă pe la Inter ori Napoli. Spania pierde cu Argentina, 3-0, fără drept de apel. Dar de la pierzători se remarcă un fotbalist.

”Aveam doar 17 ani, nu mă gândeam că voi fi convocat. Goiko, antrenorul, mă sunase să mă întrebe dacă sunt interesat să merg acolo, știind că voi juca destul de puțin, pentru că în fața mea erau Raúl ori Morientes”. Avea să devină golgeterul acelui turneu, cu șapte reușite. Joseba Etxeberria, viitoarea mare vedetă de la Athletic Bilbao, omul care evolua, gratis, în ultimul sezon, la basci, drept mulțumire pentru tot ceea ce-i dăduse fotbalul și această echipă.

”În primul joc s-a accidentat Moro (n.a. – Morientes), am intrat și am marcat de două ori. Mă simțeam în al nouălea cer, debutasem și în Primera Division, în ianuarie. În aprilie, jucam deja pentru Spania”.

Marea finală a venit din America de Sud. Brazilia – Argentina, după ce Portugalia a prins medalia de bronz, 3-2, într-o partidă de excepție cu vecinii iberici. E 28 aprilie 1995. Leo Biagini e prea bun, n-ai ce-i face, mai ales că după acest turneu final se transferă din țara natală la Atletico Madrid, unde va cuceri un ”doblete”, cu marea trupă a lui Radomir Antic. Se termină 2-0 pentru echipa lui Pekerman.

”Reinaldo și Denislon erau atunci niște jucători senzaționali, dar Ibagaza a făcut ce-a vrut în finală. Noi am ieșit cam șifonați. Am plecat gândindu-ne că vom urca pe podium, dar am terminat pe locul al patrulea. Raúl și De la Peña jucau, deja, în Primera Division, dar, de ce să nu recunoaștem, decepția a fost mare”, încheie Cordón.

Acum, Qatarul găzduiește, din nou, un ”mondial”. Altul mai mare.

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