With less than two months to go for the Under-17 World Cup in India, the excitement in the country hosting its first ever FIFA tournament continues to grow.
A total of 24 teams from around the globe will descend in India to take part in the famous competition which has thrown up legendary names galore over the years.
The tournament was the brainchild of the then FIFA secretary-general, Joe Blatter, who was inspired by the famous Lion City Cup for Under-16 boys started by the Football Association of Singapore. The global event was named as the FIFA Under-16 World Championship before being renamed to it's current version in 2007.
FIFA U-17 World Cup: A sneak peek into all six venues
The first edition was held in China in 1985 and ever since then the tournament has been held every two years with the age limit being increased to 17 from 1991 onwards.
Goal lists out the illustrious history of the prestigious tournament in a two-part series detailing the winners and famous players who have made their bow in the tourney.
History of the FIFA Under-16 World Championship:
Getty Images| Year | Hosts | Winners | Runners-Up | Famous players | No. of teams |
| 1985 | China | Nigeria | West Germany | Marcel Witeczek, Hugo Maradona, Bismarck Faria,Giorgio Bresciani | 16 |
| 1987 | Canada | Soviet Union | Nigeria | Moussa Traore, Mickael Debeve, Fabio Gallo, Luis Cristaldo | 16 |
| 1989 | Scotland | Saudi Arabia | Scotland | Paul Dickov, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Gil Gomes | 16 |
GettyHistory of the FIFA Under-17 World Championship (Until 2005):
Getty| Year | Hosts | Winners | Runners-Up | Famous players | No.of teams |
| 1991 | Italy | Ghana | Spain | Alessandro Del Piero, Juan Sebastian Veron, Adriano, Luis Diego Lopez | 16 |
| 1993 | Japan | Nigeria | Ghana | Francesco Totti, Wilson Oruma, Federico Dominguez, Hidetoshi Nakata | 16 |
| 1995 | Ecuador | Ghana | Brazil | Pablo Aimar, Esteban Cambiasso, Hary Kewell, Eduardo | 16 |
| 1997 | Egypt | Brazil | Ghana | Ronaldinho, Sebastian Kehl, Jorginho, Mahamadou Diarra | 16 |
| 1999 | New Zealand | Brazil | Australia | Landon Donovan, Leonardo Santiago,Oguchi Onyewu, Kyle Beckerman | 16 |
| 2001 | Trinidad and Tobago | France | Nigeria | Maxi Lopez, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Torre, Pablo Zabaleta | 16 |
| 2003 | Finland | Brazil | Spain | Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, John Obi Mikel,Ezequiel Garay | 16 |
| 2005 | Peru | Mexico | Brazil | Carlos Vela, Anderson, Marcelo, Nuri Sahin | 16 |
Getty Images