The 2011 edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship WTC, for Under-20 players will commence today in Colombia as Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and other U-20 teams of the world chase glory. It is indeed a stage for the future stars of FIFA World Cup and opportunity for the players to showcase themselves for a possible fast track to professional success at different clubsides.

For the coach John Obuh tutore team, who will be aiming to rewrite their unimpressive preparation for the tournament with a good outing, it is pertinent that they begin their race brightly against Guatamela tomorrow.

The players themselves will also want to use the tournament as stepping stone to secure career-defining opportunities.

The competition’s various coaches will frame their team talks accordingly, though their personal goals can hardly be said to differ. They too harbour dreams of emerging triumphant while wanting to prepare their charges for a future in the game. “It will be an unforgettable event for my players,” Croatian tactician, Ivan Grnja told Tidesports’ source a few months ago. “They’ll gain experience which will be very useful for them for the rest of their careers. This tournament will be a springboard for each and every one.” Croatian legends Robert Prosinecki, Davor Suker and Zvonimir Boban, all former FIFA U-20 World Cup protagonists, would no doubt concur.

“This World Cup could be a turning point in their careers,” said Austria coach, Andreas Heraf. “It’s without a doubt the most important competition in the world after the senior World Cup. The media interest around it will be huge. It’s very important for youngsters at this age to participate in big international events. Some of them will perhaps never have this chance again. It’s a superb occasion to make a name for yourself.”

That is exactly what concerns Nigeria’s manager, John Obuh, however. “A few players intend to take advantage of this World Cup to awaken the interest of big European clubs and obtain lucrative contracts,” said the Flying Eagles coach, whose squad draws heavily from the exciting generation that finished runners-up at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2009. “Above all, they don’t want to stay in Nigeria. I never stop telling my players that they need to learn to take care of things in their proper order. Right now, they have to focus all their attention on this competition. There’ll be time later to negotiate contracts overseas.”

Several of the young talents due to appear on Colombian soil have already found homes at leading European sides, though, with a few agreeing deals this summer. Argentinian duo, Erik Lamela and Juan Iturbe recently clinched respective moves to Roma and Porto, for example, while Uruguay’s set-piece specialist Adrian Luna has signed with Espanyol.

Even for these players, however, the FIFA U-20 World Cup represents a chance to improve further and use their skills to steer their nations towards glory. “I know what I have to offer to Uruguay”, said La Celeste’s Luna. “We want to make history, just like we did in the South American Championship. Uruguay have never won an U-20 World Cup and we’d love to do it.”

Having plenty to live up to since Uruguay’s senior team recently ended a 16-year Copa America title wait, Luna has every reason to aim high, however, the goalscoring dreamer’s thirst for victory is shared by all 503 of his peers. “We’ll be playing this World Cup to go all the way,” explained Joel Campbell, whose Costa Rica side by no means feature among the favourites. His thoughts are echoed by Mexico’s Ulises Davila, who hopes he and his team-mates can match their world champion U-17 counterparts: “Our goal is to go down in history and make everyone in Mexico immensely happy.” Over in the Argentinian camp, Iturbe is no less ambitious: “Our objective is to have a great tournament and fight for the world title. Argentina are potential winners of every competition we enter.” As for France, Antoine Griezmann has spoken of wanting to “win the World Cup and show the whole of France that the young players are there to take over in the coming years”.

While Brazil’s Casemiro and Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Otayf all have a similar tale, some coaches have been outlining a wider range of targets. Few possess as far-reaching ambitions as Ever Almeida, for example, with the man holding the reins for Guatemala, bent on effecting a complete cultural shift among the country’s national teams.