Just as Argentina claimed the FIFA U-20 World Cup title in 2005 with Lionel Messi as their standout player, this year they are one step away from repeating that achievement. On Sunday, the South American side — made up of players who have already stood out despite their young age — will go for the title against Morocco.
Argentina booked their spot in the final with a 1–0 win over Colombia on Wednesday in Santiago, Chile — another step in their dominant run. They have won all six of their matches so far and are now just one win away from glory.
A big part of their performance is due to the work of head coach Diego Placente, who remains in close contact with senior national team coach Lionel Scaloni. But above all, their success is built on the impressive talent within the squad — many of whom are already shining at club level.
The winning goal against Colombia was scored by Mateo Silvetti, a forward developed at Newell’s Old Boys who just a few weeks ago joined Inter Miami to become Lionel Messi’s teammate. The Herons paid $5 million for the 19-year-old, who recorded 6 goals and 2 assists in 37 appearances with the Argentine club.
Mateo Silvetti joined Inter Miami this summer.
Argentina U-20’s most valuable players
Silvetti is part of a long list of Argentine players at the U-20 World Cup who have already commanded multi-million dollar transfers. The top example is Julio Soler, a left-back signed by Bournemouth from Lanus at the start of 2025 in a $15 million deal.
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Close behind is Gianluca Prestianni, a winger sold by Velez Sarsfield to Benfica of Portugal last year for €9 million plus bonuses, bringing the total deal to around $12.8 million. Velez also recently sold another U-20 national team player — creative midfielder Alvaro Montoro, who was bought by Botafogo of Brazil for $9 million.
Among the players still with their original clubs but already drawing significant attention are Maher Carrizo and Ian Subiabre. The former is a winger from Velez with a market value of €10 million, according to Transfermarkt. Subiabre, also a winger, recently renewed his contract with River Plate, including a €100 million release clause.
Argentina’s missing stars
Argentina’s path to the U-20 World Cup final is even more impressive considering the team has been without several of its top talents. Real Madrid did not authorize Franco Mastantuono’s release for the tournament in Chile, and the same happened with Bayer Leverkusen’s Claudio Echeverri, Genoa’s Valentin Carboni, and Borussia Dortmund’s Aaron Anselmino. All of them have a market value even higher than the players mentioned earlier.
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Argentina chasing seventh title
After defeating Colombia, Argentina are ready to take on Morocco, who beat France on penalties after a 1–1 draw on Wednesday. The final will take place Sunday at 7 PM (ET) at Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile.
If they win, Argentina will confirm their dominance at the U-20 level, as it would mark their seventh World Cup title. Their previous triumphs came in Japan 1979 (with Diego Maradona), Qatar 1995, Malaysia 1997, Argentina 2001, Netherlands 2005 (with Lionel Messi), and Canada 2007.
