The FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™ semi-final against Colombia was sheer agony for Maher Carrizo. The Argentina star was suspended and forced to watch from the stands, joining the 45,000 spectators who took in the heated all-South American clash at Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos. “I really did suffer a lot, but I had faith in my team-mates,” he later said. “Fortunately, we came out on top.”
Diego Placente’s side edged a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Mateo Silvetti, booking their place in their eighth U-20 final. Carrizo will be available again as they look to pick up their seventh title, which would extend their lead as the most successful team in the competition’s history.
Carrizo leads a Young Albiceleste frontline brimming with talent from Velez Sarsfield, a club with a long history of producing a prolific crop of young players. The “Pives” – a play on words combining the term “pibes” (young lads in Spanish) with a slight twist referring to the blue V across their kit – have contributed their trademark individual flair in the final third, with Carrizo, Alvaro Montoro, Alejo Sarco, Gianluca Prestianni and Tobias Andrada all having their part to play. Many of them shared the dressing room at youth level and now they are spearheading Argentina’s dream together.
“As a club, Velez does a fantastic job when it comes to developing young talent,” Carrizo explained. “They are getting more recognition now because so many players are coming through, which makes you appreciate the work they do. They’ll end up making an impression because you can see how much individuality comes across. Velez has a great youth academy.”
In the run-up to the final against Morocco, the wing wizard met with FIFA, eager to cap off a great individual and collective tournament with the trophy that 24 countries had travelled to Chile to claim.
Maher Carrizo: It’s really exciting. We’re delighted and very proud of ourselves because I think we’ve come a long way. I mean, we’re in the final. All that’s left is to concentrate, work hard and enjoy myself. I’m really looking forward to the day.
I just try to help the team. Sometimes I don’t find the back of the net and sometimes I do. The main thing is not so much trying to score, but rather helping the team to do well. Fortunately, we made it to the final.
Of course. They’re all top players, but most of all, they’re great people. Every lad who steps on the pitch does really well. That’s what matters and what helps the team.
That’s what we were actually striving for; we were looking to bring all our team-mates together. I think we’ve done a fantastic job because it was also brought up in the middle of the World Cup. It was a crucial moment for us, and it helps that humility is a common trait in our team.
Guts. We play football with our heads and our hearts. Winning would be a dream come true. Every kid dreams of winning the World Cup. We’re just one step away, so we’re just trying to enjoy being here.
I think the best thing has been getting to know my team-mates. We’ve enjoyed each other’s company and joked around when the time was right. I have so many fond memories. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I’m grateful to the coaching staff and all my team-mates for making this happen.
I think we performed brilliantly, and that’s what got us to the final. As a country, we produce many young talents, and that’s a big plus. I’m enormously proud and extremely pleased, and I hope many more young people will follow suit.
That’s my childhood club. It’s where I started out, and I’m truly grateful to Club Sarmiento, especially to Coach Pinino, who pushed me to get to where I am today. To this day, I still talk to him. He’s a great person, and I want to dedicate everything I’m going through now to him.
I try to keep my composure. I may not talk about it much with my team-mates, but many of us know that every player has played in Argentina’s top flight. It gives us an edge because it helps us come to the World Cup feeling much more confident. It’s great to see youngsters playing in the first division because it’s really not easy. Every guy who goes back to his club after this and gets to play in the top division will do really well because we’ve got the confidence now.
