U-17 Women’s World Cup: an event where stars are born

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Do you know who are the stars that the U-17 Women's World Cup left? Find out here more about it

Undoubtedly, the FIFA U-17 and U-20 World Cups are spaces where stars are born. In fact, Luís Figo, Robert Prosinecki, Zvonimir Boban, Matthias Sammer, Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, Xavi Hernández, Toni Kroos, and Iker Casillas, to name a few, are some figures from the past and the present that went through this event.

Leer en español: Mundial Femenino Sub-17: un evento donde nacen estrellas

According to the FIFA, this is a phenomenon that also applies to the female sector, including the Brazilian Marta Vieira da Silva, who has played five World Cups, and the German Nadine Kessler, world champion in 2014. In this order, these outstanding female figures are known thanks to these events of lower categories organized by the world football's top regent.

With the soccer players of North Korea, something very special happens and is that every time this team has been the U-17 champion (2008 and 2016) a new prodigy emerges in the service of international soccer. On its website, the FIFA announces two clear examples of this:

• On the one hand is Myong-hwa, who scored four goals in New Zealand 2008
• On the other hand is Sung Hyang-sim, the top star of Jordan 2016

This happened again this year, with the difference that the Asian team was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Spain in the penalty shootout. What is certain is that they showed the world their new jewel: Kim Kyong-yong.

You can also read: Deyna Castellanos: the Venezuelan who is taking over college football 

A big 'explosion'

According to the highest soccer agency, Kim was proclaimed top scorer and best player of the AFC U-16 Women's Championship at the beginning of 2017, when she was only 15 years old. There, her team won the championship and sealed its qualification to Uruguay 2018.

During the aforementioned tournament, Kim scored nine goals in six matches. At the time, she declared: "The truth is that my personal goal in that tournament was to win the prize for the best player, but I did not expect to be the top scorer."

Since she was 10 years old, Kim plays soccer, which is a great example of her talent, since only five years later the North Korean exploited her potential. Kim was summoned for the U-15 national team for the 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, where she became the top scorer with five goals.

This way Kim won the respect of her teammate Ri Su-gyong, captain and player with more experience, who did not hesitate to say: "She is a fantastic soccer player and I respect her".

During the U-17 World Cup

Kim already had the spotlight on her before the edition of Uruguay 2018 and although her team did not win, she received credit in two games. The first was in the comeback against Cameroon, according to the Fémina Fútbol portal. In this, the African opened the scoring in the first half, but North Korea was gaining space with a very dynamic Kim who had the tie on her feet.

However, the goalkeeper Olga Ngo Esse managed to stop the goal and kept the 1-0 in favor of her country before going to the break. Finally, in the last 15 minutes, North Korea could overcome thanks to a goal by Ri Su-jong, who assured them the second place in Group C to advance to the second round as the second group behind Germany, as mentioned by the same media.

Now, the second was in the match against the United States, which left a final score 3-0 in favor of North Korea, according to Fútbol Peruano. In this encounter, Kim's performance ended up being the best of the event.

32 minutes IGNORE INTO the match, Kim scored the second goal of the game after taking advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Kristeen Anderson and thus led the commitment before the break, leaving a score of 2-0. The third goal was also scored by Kim after a corner kick in the minute 52.

A tournament in which stars are born

Since 1991, the FIFA Women's World Cup has been held, an event that seeks to give women space. As regards the U-20 category, eight editions have already been organized, while the U-17 is in its sixth edition. The FIFA website reveals an interesting list with names of players that have emerged from these championships and then have triumphed as professionals, such as Kim Kyong-yong.

The first of the list is the Japanese Mana Iwabuchi, who shone in New Zealand 2008 and won the Golden Ball that year. In second places is the German Dzsenifer Marozsan, winner of the Silver Ball and the Golden Boot as U-17 scorer. Then she was world champion in the U-20 and Golden Ball in 2010.

Yeo Min-ji of South Korea is third on the list after winning the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot in the 2010 edition of Trinidad and Tobago, after scoring eight goals. In 2012, the podium was headed by Griedge Mbock Bathy, a soccer player who broke the paradigm that only attackers could win individual prizes. France was crowned in Azerbaijan thanks to her.

Costa Rica 2014 was the edition in which the Japanese Hina Sugita stood out, as well as the Venezuelan attackers Deyna Castellanos and Gabriela García, who took the 'vinotIGNORE INTO' to the fourth place with their 12 goals (6 each of them). This allowed them to jointly share the Golden Boot, an unprecedented event in this tournament, according to the FIFA.

LatinAmerican Post | Onofre Zambrano

Translated from "Mundial Femenino Sub-17: un evento donde nacen las estrellas"