The South American U-20 Championship concluded on Sunday 16th February.
The tournament, held in Venezuela, acts as a qualification process for the U20 World Cup in Chile which starts in September this year. Brazil, the defending champions, retained their crown with a 3-0 win over Chile in the final matchday.
The tournament has featured some of the greatest South American players of the last 20 years, with Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Lautaro Martínez winning the top goal scorer award in previous editions.
Harry Gillies debuts for the The Copa Club, reviewing some of the competition’s best players, including those who have been scouted by European clubs.
Claudio Echeverri - Argentina
Undoubtedly the next great star to emerge from South America, Echeverri is a precocious talent.
The attacker scored six goals and contributed with three assists in the tournament. The most notable came when he dropped the Uruguayan keeper down in the box, and, while defenders scrambled on the line, smashed the ball into the roof of the net. He also emulated Julián Alvarez with a cheeky dinked penalty against Brazil.
The comparisons to Angel Di Maria are not entirely unreasonable. Something magical can happen when he dribbles into the box. He relishes taking on players with a mazy runs, instinctively finding his way through traffic in tight areas.
Echeverri broke through at River Plate after Julián Alvarez departed for Man City. Alvarez has since moved on to join Atletico Madrid, but City wasted no time in recruiting the next big Argentine star.
The Premier League champions snapped up Echeverri in January 2024 before loaning him back to River. Although he didn't set the world alight in 2024, back in his own age category the 18-year-old outperformed his teammates.
Echeverri suffered a sprained ankle injury and missed Argentina’s 3-2 loss to Paraguay in the final game of the competition. This injury may well delay his long-awaited debut for Pep Guardiola’s Man City.
Ian Subiabre - Argentina
River Plate is a factory of talent, having produced Julián Alvarez, Enzo Fernández and now, Echeverri.
Ian Subiabre, however, is the next player off the production line. The forward is quick off the mark, who's able to work his way in behind and disrupt opposing defenders.
We saw this throughout the tournament as the striker finished with three goals to his name.
He has already been linked with a European move, but River plan to integrate him into Marcelo Gallardo’s first team in 2025.
Subiabre has dual Chilean and Argentine nationality. It was a strange twist of fate that he opened the scoring against the other nation he could represent (his grandfather was a Chilean boxer).
After a darting run from Echeverri, Subiabre picked up the pieces at the edge of the box, used his quick feet to evade opponents and slotted home a low left foot strike.
His winner against Colombia was another spectacular finish. Argentina are in safe hands.
Néiser Villarreal – Colombia
The Colombian winger finished as the competition’s top scorer with eight goals and has unsurprisingly caught the eye of plenty of European clubs.
What caught the eye of the fans was the name on the back of his shirt ‘Neyser’. This spelling was a homage to his idol, and Santos player, Neymar, who the Copa Club will also be following closely this year.
Néiser made his debut in 2023 for Millonarios Fútbol Club of Bogotá. Although a right winger, he tends to drift inside, with a knack for peeling off the back line to find space inside the box.
He ruthlessly finished all three goals against Paraguay in a 4-0 rout and was arguably the breakout star of this tournament. The Colombian is now firmly on our radar.
Julio Soler - Argentina
Julio Soler played just one game for his new club Bournemouth before getting back on a plane to South America to represent Argentina.
A versatile, modern left-back who can play in a more advanced wing-back role, Soler made his debut with Lanus at age 17. In under three years, he signed for a Premier League team fighting for a European spot.
He featured in seven of Argentina’s eight games, completing 90 minutes on five occasions. An explosive player who loves to burst down the line and deliver low crosses, Soler is rated highly by Argentines and is seen as the future left-back of the national team.
A Premier League move was the natural next step for the youngster, and, under the guidance of Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, he will come closer to a full international call up.
Rayan Vitor - Brazil
The 18-year-old forward’s name has been linked with European royalty - and this tournament showed why that was the case.
A product of Brazilian club Vasco de Gama, Rayan stands at 6ft 1 and is an incredibly powerful and fast forward.
He used his combinaiton of strength and speed to escape his marker before hitting the ball across goal to find the bottom corner, equalising for his country against their eternal rivals Argentina.
He is well built but glides past players with grace. Preferring to keep his shots low, he favours precision over power.
A player with all the attributes to easily adapt to European football, this is a big year in Brazil for the powerful forward.
Juan Francisco Rossel – Chile
Chile finished bottom of the table and will only qualify for the U20 World Cup by virtue of hosting the competition. However, an undeniable bright spark has been Juan Francisco Rossel. The striker has netted five times in the competition.
This was his first time involved with Chile at this level. He is also eligible to represent Ecuador on his mothers’ side. Having made his debut in 2023, Rossel has become an important player to his club team Universidad Católica.
His second goal against Venezuela was expertly taken. An intelligent run to the edge of the box was timed perfectly before he hammered a volley into the ground, flying past the keeper’s grasp.
As Chile dream of unearthing another golden generation of players, Rossel could - and should - be in line to lead their attack.
Gadiel Paoli – Paraguay
Gadiel Paoli was the hero of Paraguay’s 1-0 win over Uruguay. His header into the top right corner sent his country to the Under 20 World Cup and eliminated Uruguay in the process.
The 19-year-old has come up through the academy of Boca Juniors and is yet to make his professional debut. Born in Argentina, he is a centre-back with an eye for goal, having netted five times in 17 reserve league games for Boca.
The full-time celebrations saw the Paraguayan players drop to the floor in embrace, crying with Paoli, the hero of the hour. Argentina may have just missed the boat on this talented young defender who will look to do Paraguay proud at the U20 World Cup.
Germán Barbas – Uruguay
Uruguay started the competition well. A 6-0 thrashing of Paraguay was capped by a goal from 17-year-old Germán Barbas.
The midfielder arrived in the box, opened his body and calmly guided home a low ball into the bottom left corner. A dynamic, skilful midfielder, he has impressed since introduced to Peñarol's first team.
Inevitably, he is labelled the new Fede Valverde, who played for the same Uruguayan club before joining Real Madrid. Just like Valverde, Barbas can play in every area of midfield and feels comfortable behind the striker. He describes himself as a very technical player with good vision who always looks to make forward passes.
Having turned 17 in September, he was the youngest outfield player in the squad but is already vastly experienced at this level. His continued development is a positive that Uruguay can take from the tournament.
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