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UEFA European Under-19 Championships: Who Are The Top 10 Stars In The History Of The Tournament?
Goal.com runs through the Golden Ball winners since 2002 and weighs up the contenders for this year's honour...
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Jul 29, 2010 1:00:00 PM
By Peter Staunton
The UEFA European Under-19 Championships began in their current guise in 2002 and have seen some of the game's finest emerging talents compete for honours at this elite level. As France, the hosts, prepare to face Spain in Sunday's final, I have a look through the previous editions of the competition and the Golden Ball winners and profile some of the contenders for this year's best player honour.
2002 Fernando Torres - Spain
The forward had made his debut for Atletico Madrid a year before the inaugural under-19 tournament kicked off, emphasising his precocious striking talent. El Nino was top scorer in Norway with four goals as la Rojita claimed the title in the final against Germany. Torres scored the only goal of the game against the Germans to win the title for his country, a feat he was to repeat at senior level in 2008. Despite niggling injury concerns, the 26-year-old became a World Cup winner this summer and has enjoyed a goal-soaked career with both his hometown club and Liverpool. The 2002 squad also included Andres Iniesta.
2003 Alberto Aquilani - Italy
The second Liverpool-based Golden Ball winner on the list. Paolo Berrettini's side were heavily dependant on Aquilani during the course of the tournament; the Roma graduate played every minute of every match en route to the final. He scored in the opening game to see off Norway and contributed the key assist for Giampaolo Pazzini's goal against Portugal in the final. Aquilani's career has stuttered somewhat, primarily due to injuries, and he was seen as a white elephant signing during Rafa Benitez's last season in charge at Anfield. Nonetheless he remains a player of rare guile and invention who only needs a consistent run of games to demonstrate his worth to Reds fans.
2004 Juanfran - Spain
The winger is a graduate of Real Madrid's cantera but perhaps typically struggled to break through to los Blancos' first team due to the presence of world renowned heavy hitters in the squad. La Rojita, including Sergio Ramos and David Silva among their number, breezed through the group stages on maximum points but were reliant on a late Borja Valero effort in the final to see off Turkey after ousting Ukraine in the semis. Juanfran displayed a mature level of creativity throughout the tournament, although he missed some of the action through injury and was not on the pitch by the time his team-mates claimed the trophy. After a season on loan at Espanyol in 2005-06, he has been on the books of Osasuna since then, memorably scoring a vital strike against Real Madrid to stave off relegation.
2005 Abdoulaye Balde - France
The rangy forward has not yet gone on to deliver on his potential since guiding the French to the 2005 title in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Then of Amiens, Balde scored four times as les Bleuets powered their way to the title. His goal haul included a vital double against Germany in the semi-finals and a strike in the finale against the English in a 3-1 victory. The France squad contained some outstanding individuals in 2005, including Hugo Lloris, Yoann Gourcuff, Yohan Cabaye and Abou Diaby. Balde has been out of the picture at Chateauroux since injuring himself midway through last season. The club took on Titi Buengo in his stead.
2006 Alberto Bueno - Spain
Bueno, another Real Madrid graduate, featured prominently for the side's youth outfits but like Juanfran before him, found the first team a bridge too far. The 22-year-old has been on the books of Valladolid since 2009. Spain's 2006 team, featuring Juan Mata and Gerard Pique, were certainly not goal shy in Poland, reeling off five and four strikes respectively in their opening fixtures against Turkey and Scotland. Bueno weighed in with goals in both matches. He also found the net against Austria in the 5-0 semi-final drubbing before settling the argument against Scotland with a brace in the final.
2007 Soitiris Ninis - Greece
The 2007 edition of the tournament was to be captured again by the Spanish but it was the form of Greece's youngest representative at the finals, Ninis, that really caught the imagination. The Albania-born attacker scored a vital goal against Germany in the semi-finals and added two further assists in a dramatic come-from-behind win. At just 20, Ninis is one of the most promising talents in Europe. A double winner with Panathinaikos last season, he also went to the World Cup with Otto Rehhagel. The youngest-ever captain in Pana's history has regularly featured on the gossip columns, having his name linked with the likes of Manchester United and Milan.
2008 Lars Bender - Germany
Perhaps UEFA opted to award the German twins the Golden Ball to share because they could not tell them apart. Certainly, the duo are as similar in style as they are in their appearance. Lars, the more attack-minded of the two, has been a Bundesliga player with Bayer Leverkusen since the summer of 2009 and featured intermittently in their first team last season. He scored twice in the competition in the Czech Republic, including in the 3-1 final win against Italy, as Germany claimed their first title at this level since 1992, confirming the effectiveness of their much heralded youth system.
2008 Sven Bender - Germany
Like his brother Lars, Sven had been at 1860 Munich since 2003 before moving on last summer. Despite the twins' eagerness to play on the same team they moved to different clubs in the Bundesliga with Sven joining Borussia Dortmund. Sven was an ever present in the Czech Republic as the Germans took the gold.
2009 Kyrylo Petrov - Ukraine
The captain was one of nine Dynamo Kyiv players in the Ukraine squad that claimed first place on home soil last summer. The hosts defeated a talented England team in the final of the competition by a scoreline of 2-0 after downing Serbia in the semis. Earlier in the piece, the Ukrainians had battled back against England in the group stage to draw 2-2, with the skipper scoring twice. Petrov has since made the step up to his nation's under-21 team but has not yet emerged in the frame at his parent club. Indeed, he has been loaned to FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih this summer in order to gain first team experience. Usually a central defender, Petrov held the midfield for his national side last summer and led with towering leadership from the centre of the pitch.
2010 ?
And who might be the standout individual of this summer's championships in France? Certainly the hosts and their Spanish counterparts have some outstanding candidates. For France, Gael Kakuta, the Chelsea player, has led the attack with distinction, showing maturity and creativity beyond his 19 years. Antoine Griezmann of Real Sociedad has also been impressive in his outings. The Spanish boast the cream of the Barcelona youth academy, with the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Oriol Romeu excelling. However, the wide attackers, captain Keko and Dani Pacheco have been irresistable. Indeed the Liverpool forward, once of Barcelona, is currently the tournament's top scorer. As an outside bet, Croatia's Zvonko Pamic might be worth a shout. His goals and assists went a long way towards propelling his side to the semi-finals.
2002 Fernando Torres - Spain
The forward had made his debut for Atletico Madrid a year before the inaugural under-19 tournament kicked off, emphasising his precocious striking talent. El Nino was top scorer in Norway with four goals as la Rojita claimed the title in the final against Germany. Torres scored the only goal of the game against the Germans to win the title for his country, a feat he was to repeat at senior level in 2008. Despite niggling injury concerns, the 26-year-old became a World Cup winner this summer and has enjoyed a goal-soaked career with both his hometown club and Liverpool. The 2002 squad also included Andres Iniesta.
2003 Alberto Aquilani - Italy
The second Liverpool-based Golden Ball winner on the list. Paolo Berrettini's side were heavily dependant on Aquilani during the course of the tournament; the Roma graduate played every minute of every match en route to the final. He scored in the opening game to see off Norway and contributed the key assist for Giampaolo Pazzini's goal against Portugal in the final. Aquilani's career has stuttered somewhat, primarily due to injuries, and he was seen as a white elephant signing during Rafa Benitez's last season in charge at Anfield. Nonetheless he remains a player of rare guile and invention who only needs a consistent run of games to demonstrate his worth to Reds fans.
2004 Juanfran - Spain
The winger is a graduate of Real Madrid's cantera but perhaps typically struggled to break through to los Blancos' first team due to the presence of world renowned heavy hitters in the squad. La Rojita, including Sergio Ramos and David Silva among their number, breezed through the group stages on maximum points but were reliant on a late Borja Valero effort in the final to see off Turkey after ousting Ukraine in the semis. Juanfran displayed a mature level of creativity throughout the tournament, although he missed some of the action through injury and was not on the pitch by the time his team-mates claimed the trophy. After a season on loan at Espanyol in 2005-06, he has been on the books of Osasuna since then, memorably scoring a vital strike against Real Madrid to stave off relegation.
2005 Abdoulaye Balde - France
The rangy forward has not yet gone on to deliver on his potential since guiding the French to the 2005 title in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Then of Amiens, Balde scored four times as les Bleuets powered their way to the title. His goal haul included a vital double against Germany in the semi-finals and a strike in the finale against the English in a 3-1 victory. The France squad contained some outstanding individuals in 2005, including Hugo Lloris, Yoann Gourcuff, Yohan Cabaye and Abou Diaby. Balde has been out of the picture at Chateauroux since injuring himself midway through last season. The club took on Titi Buengo in his stead.
2006 Alberto Bueno - Spain
Bueno, another Real Madrid graduate, featured prominently for the side's youth outfits but like Juanfran before him, found the first team a bridge too far. The 22-year-old has been on the books of Valladolid since 2009. Spain's 2006 team, featuring Juan Mata and Gerard Pique, were certainly not goal shy in Poland, reeling off five and four strikes respectively in their opening fixtures against Turkey and Scotland. Bueno weighed in with goals in both matches. He also found the net against Austria in the 5-0 semi-final drubbing before settling the argument against Scotland with a brace in the final.
2007 Soitiris Ninis - Greece
The 2007 edition of the tournament was to be captured again by the Spanish but it was the form of Greece's youngest representative at the finals, Ninis, that really caught the imagination. The Albania-born attacker scored a vital goal against Germany in the semi-finals and added two further assists in a dramatic come-from-behind win. At just 20, Ninis is one of the most promising talents in Europe. A double winner with Panathinaikos last season, he also went to the World Cup with Otto Rehhagel. The youngest-ever captain in Pana's history has regularly featured on the gossip columns, having his name linked with the likes of Manchester United and Milan.
2008 Lars Bender - Germany
Perhaps UEFA opted to award the German twins the Golden Ball to share because they could not tell them apart. Certainly, the duo are as similar in style as they are in their appearance. Lars, the more attack-minded of the two, has been a Bundesliga player with Bayer Leverkusen since the summer of 2009 and featured intermittently in their first team last season. He scored twice in the competition in the Czech Republic, including in the 3-1 final win against Italy, as Germany claimed their first title at this level since 1992, confirming the effectiveness of their much heralded youth system.
2008 Sven Bender - Germany
Like his brother Lars, Sven had been at 1860 Munich since 2003 before moving on last summer. Despite the twins' eagerness to play on the same team they moved to different clubs in the Bundesliga with Sven joining Borussia Dortmund. Sven was an ever present in the Czech Republic as the Germans took the gold.
2009 Kyrylo Petrov - Ukraine
The captain was one of nine Dynamo Kyiv players in the Ukraine squad that claimed first place on home soil last summer. The hosts defeated a talented England team in the final of the competition by a scoreline of 2-0 after downing Serbia in the semis. Earlier in the piece, the Ukrainians had battled back against England in the group stage to draw 2-2, with the skipper scoring twice. Petrov has since made the step up to his nation's under-21 team but has not yet emerged in the frame at his parent club. Indeed, he has been loaned to FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih this summer in order to gain first team experience. Usually a central defender, Petrov held the midfield for his national side last summer and led with towering leadership from the centre of the pitch.
2010 ?
And who might be the standout individual of this summer's championships in France? Certainly the hosts and their Spanish counterparts have some outstanding candidates. For France, Gael Kakuta, the Chelsea player, has led the attack with distinction, showing maturity and creativity beyond his 19 years. Antoine Griezmann of Real Sociedad has also been impressive in his outings. The Spanish boast the cream of the Barcelona youth academy, with the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Oriol Romeu excelling. However, the wide attackers, captain Keko and Dani Pacheco have been irresistable. Indeed the Liverpool forward, once of Barcelona, is currently the tournament's top scorer. As an outside bet, Croatia's Zvonko Pamic might be worth a shout. His goals and assists went a long way towards propelling his side to the semi-finals.
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