Argentina’s U20 national team is back in a World Cup final after 18 long years, and they did so with a narrow victory over Colombia in the semifinals with a goal from Mateo “Toto” Silvetti to seal their ticket to the final where they will face Morocco, who advanced in a penalty shootout after beating France.
The qualification unleashed a wave of reactions and celebrations on social networks, but there was one very special one that stood out above all and that was the captain of the senior team, Lionel Messi. The world champion celebrated the triumph of the youth team with a brief message, highlighting the team’s top scorer and his teammate at Inter Miami.
What did Lionel Messi say about the Argentina national team and Mateo Silvetti?
Minutes after securing the ticket to the grand final, Messi posted a story on his Instagram with a message: “Let’s go, to the final! Congratulations to everyone! Grande Mateo Silvetti”, accompanied by the Argentine flag and the applause emoji. The message quickly went viral on social networks, especially for the congratulations to Silvetti, who since the round of 16 has come off the bench to score the winning goals.
His goal in the 72nd minute after a great play by Gianluca Prestianni was of great importance because from that moment on they knew how to keep the rhythm of the game, despairing the Colombian national team, which was even left with one man less. Now they will face a tough test against Morocco, a team that finished as group leader alongside Brazil, Spain and Mexico.
Messi’s legacy in youth World Cups: a story that repeats itself
During the 2005 U-20 World Cup, Messi was the protagonist of Argentina’s last title in that category, being the top scorer and best player of the tournament held in the Netherlands. He later won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, both tournaments with age limits.
Now 38 years old and with a World Cup win in Qatar 2022, Messi is showing his support for the youngsters, especially in a tournament in which he had been denied to reach the decisive stages in recent editions, but now in Chile 2025 they could win their seventh championship.
The grand final will be played on Sunday, October 19 at 19:00 (ET) at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos, a match in which Lionel Messi will surely follow closely with the hope that his country will lift the cup.
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