Brazil have suffered a shocking early exit from this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile after a 1-0 defeat to Spain in their final group game.
The five-time champions and record holders for most tournament appearances failed to advance past the group stage for the first time in history.
Needing a win to keep their hopes alive, the junior Seleção fell short and finished bottom of Group C with just one point.
Only Australia, New Caledonia, and Saudi Arabia earned fewer points than Brazil. While the trio are yet to score a goal in the tournament, they will still feature in their final group fixtures.
In the same group, Morocco, already through to the round of 16 with six points, fell 1-0 to Mexico, who finished second on five points.
Spain, meanwhile, sit on four points and must now wait for results from other groups to determine if they advance as one of the four best third-placed teams.
For decades, Brazil’s U-20 men’s team has been a breeding ground for world-class talent.
Among the many stars who rose through the ranks to represent the senior Seleção are Ronaldinho, Kaká, Rivaldo, Romário, Marcos, Roberto Carlos, César Sampaio, Cláudio Taffarel, Bebeto, Dida, and Neymar.
Others include Dani Alves, Maicon, Adriano, Júlio Baptista, Luisão, Alex, Giovane Élber, Leonardo, Müller, Silas, Marcelo, David Luiz, Willian, Jô, Gabriel Jesus, and Lucas Moura.
