It is one of football’s oldest tournaments and has helped produced some of the greatest players.
The Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup was founded in 1939 and Manchester United have won it a record 18 times. David Beckham, George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton, Duncan Edwards, Gerard Piqué and Kaka are just a small number of the world famous names to have played in the under-19 youth tournament.
FIFA have even uncovered a postcard from 1964 sent by Best to his parents back home in Belfast, saying how much he was enjoying the tournament. Next week, Liverpool will play in the tournament on May 17 and 18 and are in the same Group as Grasshopper Zurich, Corinthians and FC Blue Stars.
It is an invitation tournament which has traditionally been held on Ascension Day and has been held every year since it was founded, apart from 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. A women’s tournament was set up in 2018 and Arsenal are this year’s entrants and are in the same Group as FC Basel, FC Rosengard and FC Zurich.
The Blue Stars tournament has been held in Zurich for more than 80 years, FIFA took it over in 1991 before it was renamed the Blue Stars/FIFA Youth Cup four years later. Then São Paulo became the first non-European winner after it was made a worldwide tournament, defeating Zurich on penalties in the final in front of a passionate 11,000 crowd at the Letzigrund.
But despite the incredible talent line which has emerged from the tournament, it is still low key considering the teams which take part. Manchester United have a rich history in the competition because they have won it so many times.
In 1954, the victorious United team included Edwards, Bill Whelan, David Pegg, Eddie Colman, Albert Scanlon, Bobby Charlton and Wilf McGuinness who all went on to play for their countries. Tragically, Edwards, Whelan, Pegg and Colman lost their lives in the infamous Munich air crash. Charlton returned to Zurich to contest the 1959 edition of the Blue Stars tournament.
Then less than a decade later, Charlton helped United lift the European Cup. Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville are other household names to have played in it. Brazil legend Kaka was part of the victorious 1990 Sao Paolo team and said: “To be on that kind of stage for a young guy is a big, big motivation and inspiration. I was injured but I remember the experience of being there.
“For me at the time, I was a young guy dreaming of being a professional footballer. It is always a pleasure when you have an international tournament, to see a different country and compete with big clubs around the world.
"This is such a platform for these young players to show themselves because you are going to be pressured, you're going to have the media there, and a lot of people around the world watching you. Maybe big clubs will also be watching you. You start tasting what professional football is.”
FIFA are celebrating the tournament this year with some cherished pictures and even a postcard from George Best as well as some big stars in celebration pictures.
