The U-17 World Cup, launched four decades ago in China, has been a breeding ground for football's great talents. Players like Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Toni Kroos shone in this youth category before conquering the senior stage. Only Ronaldinho achieved titles in both U-17 and the adult World Cup.
Since its debut in the People's Republic of China 40 years ago, the U-17 World Cup has established itself as a breeding ground for global football stars. A standout example is German midfielder Toni Kroos, who won six Champions League titles—five with Real Madrid, adding up to 23 trophies with the club, and a dozen with Bayern Munich. Kroos was the adult world champion in Brazil 2014, after defeating Argentina in the Maracanã, but in the 2007 U-17 edition in South Korea, Germany finished third, and he claimed the Golden Ball despite the team's frustration.
Another German, goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, with 44 senior international matches, was the U-17 European champion in 2009, but his team did not advance beyond the second round in that year's World Cup in Nigeria.
Ronaldinho Gaúcho is the only player in history to win both the U-17 World Cup and the senior version. The Brazilian was a star and champion in 1997 in Egypt, repeating in 2002 in South Korea and Japan. He also collected trophies like the Champions League, Copa Libertadores, World Cup, and Copa América.
Other Brazilians shone without titles in U-17: Casemiro and Alisson Becker played in the 2009 Nigeria edition, and they are now staples in the Canarinha under Carlo Ancelotti; Neymar also featured in that African tournament.
The list includes English players like Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jadon Sancho, and Raheem Sterling; Frenchmen like Aurélien Tchouaméni and Aymeric Laporte; Spaniards like Isco, Pedri, and Pau Cubarsí; South Korean Heung-min Son; and Belgian Eden Hazard, all prominent in top leagues after passing through the youth tournament.