Almost four decades after Chile first hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup™, the showpiece finals will return to the South American country later this year.
Back in 1987, one of the finest teams in the tournament’s history lit up the event, with an outrageously-talented Yugoslavia side winning the title. It was a squad packed with future greats of the game, including Zvonimir Boban, Davor Suker, Robert Jarni and Predrag Mijatovic.
One star shone even brighter that the rest, however. Robert Prosinecki’s dazzling dribbling, velvet touch and ruthless finishing set him apart, and his spellbinding performances were recognised with the adidas Golden Ball award. Prosinecki reflected on his breakout tournament, which was then known as the FIFA World Youth Championship.
“That competition was really important,” he said. “Not only for me, but for all the players from that generation. It was a special time. For all football lovers, they saw us or heard about us at that tournament. When we did what we did in Chile, everybody started to believe in us. The clubs where we played, they were saying, ‘They are the kids who know how to play football.’”
Prosinecki, of course, went on to flourish at senior level, winning the European Cup with Red Star Belgrade before going on to play for both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
He also competed in three FIFA World Cup™ tournaments. Prosinecki turned out for Yugoslavia at Italy 1990, where he shone again on the global stage and was awarded the Best Young Player prize.
One year later, Croatia declared independence and the midfield master subsequently represented the nation at France 1998 and Korea/Japan 2002. The former competition was particularly memorable, with Prosinecki pivotal as Croatia soared to a third-place finish.
Several of Prosinecki’s U-20 World Cup team-mates were also key figures during those successes – and he is convinced their triumph in Chile was the launchpad for their careers.
“It was the turning point for us,” he said. “The members of the 1987 team benefited from that championship heavily. If you see the names in the team – Boban, Suker, Jarni, [Igor} Stimac, [Branko] Brnovic, Mijatovic – all of the guys made such great careers after Chile. It was the wind in our sails to go on to achieve big things.”
Now aged 56, Prosinecki is hoping to return to the World Cup next year as a coach with Montenegro. They have made a solid start in their qualifying group, winning two of their opening three matches, and will resume their campaign in September.
Like one of his trademark mazy dribbles, Prosinecki’s football journey has taken many twists and turns since he thrilled Chilean crowds at the U-20 World Cup.
The nation is again preparing to host the tournament, with year’s edition set to get under way on 27 September. Prosinecki expects today’s generation will savour performing in front of the nation’s feverish supporters.
“Chile is a country where it is unreal how much they love football,” he said. “That’s something really amazing. We played in Santiago for the full month. We won our group and that meant we stayed in the same city. I remember when we played the opening game against Chile, there were around 70,000 people there! It was crazy and a great atmosphere. It was a big moment for us because we were not used to playing in front of big crowds. It was a spectacle in the proper sense of the word.”
