Last update 22 January, 2023 por Alberto Llopis
World U-20 Nigeria was the beginning of the success of Spanish football. Many think that the winning cycle of the Spanish team in the XXI century began that night 2008 when the hand of Luis Aragones disappeared thanks to a goal from Torres, Spain won his second European Championship history. He Mundial de Sudáfrica 2010 y la tercera Eurocopa de 2012, They confirmed the level of a unique and unparalleled generation. But the first stone on the road began long before, almost a decade earlier, in the last year of the twentieth century when in faraway Africa, Spain won its first Sub world but 20.
Fue un 24 de abril de 1999 when Spain, after thrashing Japan 4-0 in the end, was proclaimed champion World Youth, crib always great stars. On that computer, Players who played then European champions and World proclaimed with later called “Roja”. Casillas, Xavi and Marchena were part of that Golden generation. Do you know who the rest were and what happened to them?? What you have.
What happened to the Nigerian Under-20 World Cup champions?
Daniel Aranzubia (1979): He was the starting goalkeeper throughout that World Cup. He passed his Athletic Bilbao, Deportivo de la Coruña and also by Atlético del Cholo Simeone champion of the League and runner-up in the Champions League in 2014. He played all in 1 chance.
Iker Casillas (1981): curiously, which then was a legend in the history of the goalposts Spain, was the substitute at that Mundial de 1999. His subsequent career is well known.. He has risen as captain of Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, Champions, Suspenders, Cups, Euro Cups and World Cup. They say he is the best goalkeeper in the world over the past decade. What few doubt is that he is one of the best goalkeepers in the history of Spain. He left his Madrid always to go to Porto. Se retiró en 2019 after suffering a heart attack in a training session from which he fortunately recovered and was able to continue his life as normal.
Pablo Coira (1979): right lateral great tour, pointing good ways did not end then confirmed. He left Celta Compostela to pass or Recreativo among others but never reached the level that 1999 pointed.
Carlos Marchena (1979): He stood out in Sevilla from which he went to Benfica and from there to Valencia where he lived his best seasons with 2 títulos de Liga, 1 UEFA and 1 European Super Cup for almost a decade. Then he went through Villarreal and Deportivo with which he accumulated two descents followed. Fue campeón del Mundo y de Europa with the absolute Spanish team.
Javier Jusué (1979): was one of the most promising players in the quarry of Osasuna but over the years was diluted and after passing through teams like Getafe and Recreativo Segunda, He ended his career in Segunda B and Tercera, away from the glamor of others of his generation.
David Bermudo (1979): at the time of winning Sub World Cup 20 It was one of the most promising defenses of the quarry Barca. He came to be called up for a Cup match but eventually their wake went off and developed most of his career between Second and Second B.
Alvaro Rubio (1979): talented player, He was part of the quarry of Zaragoza 1999. He went through the Albacete to sign in 2006 by Real Valladolid where he became one of the classics of pucelano club.
Pablo Orbaiz (1979): Osasuna belonged to that year which had already been a couple of years in the first team. Sin embargo, He reached the top flight with Athletic Bilbao with whom he played 11 seasons in the First Division to finish his professional career in the Rubin Kazan russian in 2013.
Xavi Hernández (1979): the brain of the best club and the best selection of Spanish history that was so youth team. as Casillas, It has almost all titles. The one from Brazil 2014 It was his fourth and final World. It was the best clip one of the greatest talents that has ever Spain. Later he reached the Barça bench as first coach in 2021.
Gonzalo Colsa (1979): the late 90, even with hair, It was one of the most promising players in the Spanish lower. Over the years it became a classic in its First Racing Santander. He played in Logroñés, Valladolid, Mallorca and Atletico Madrid in two stages. A classic in the youth PC Soccer 5.0 de 1996-97.
Fernando Varela (1979): wide player, marked him a great goal to Barcelona with the Betis shirt, club to which he belonged at the time to go summoned to the World Nigeria. He also played for Mallorca, Valladolid and Steaua Bucharest.
Fran Yeste (1979): a different left handed. At the time of going to the World Cup he was one of the most talented young players. Raised in Lezama, It was one of the classics of Athletic until 2010 he went to Arab Emirates and Olympiakos. It started after a stage in the bench.
Jose Javier Barkero (1979): with a left gold, He promised in the quarry of Real Sociedad but could never succeed in the box donostiarra. He played several seasons at Numancia and reached his peak at Levante with which he triumphed in the First Division and played in the Europa League.
Rubén Suarez (1979): another player with a left-handed glove, especially in the set pieces. Raised in the quarry of Sporting Gijon, He played in the first team and gijonés in Elche although it was not until arrival at Levante when he managed to reach the top flight of Spanish football.
In the granota team he lived the best moments of his career and coincided with another champion like Barkero. Then he left to play China, he returned to Spain to enlist in the ranks of Almería, He left for Greece and returned to Valencia where he settled to speed up his career in the Valencian Third Division in clubs like Castellón, Torrevieja and Torre Levante. Son of the mythical Cundi.
Gabri (1979): Gabriel was one of The best players of the U-20 World Cup in Nigeria. Then he consolidated at the club whose quarry came and was part of the first team for six years until he left Ajax and Qatar where he drained the last days as a footballer.
Alex Lombardero (1979): If this player is the most dramatic of all. Lugo player at the time when the World Cup was played, his professional football career never got off the ground. He signed for the Merida and finally he had to give up football when he was diagnosed with a degenerative disease that left him practically handicapped. He came out in Sálvame, Gossiping program Telecinco, telling his story and how he worked for the ONCE.
David Aganzo (1981): hardworking striker, It was one of the values of the white factory of Real Madrid. After he signed for Espanyol and Levante went through, Racing de Santander and Rayo among others. He played in almost every category but never absolute. Later it became the president of the AFE.
Pablo Couñago (1979): was the Golden Boot from that youth World Cup with five goals. He played in the quarry of Celta and Recreativo passed, Málaga and Numancia but not highlighted in any of them so they had to look for life in England where he played in the second category of English football and ended up floating around Vietnam. If another player who promised much and stayed halfway.
