Argentine legends Diego Maradona and Pablo Aimar will participate in the draw for the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Suwon Artrium in South Korea on March 15. South Africa will represent Africa at the tournament, along with U-20 AFCON semi-final opponents Zambia, Senegal and Guinea. Maradona and Aimar are no strangers to the U-20 World Cup as they both won it as players. Maradona said: “It is with great emotion that I will travel to Korea Republic to take part in the draw. It will take me back to where it all started for me, with my first major title in 1979. The U-20 World Cup is the pinnacle for every young player and hopefully this year we will see the Maradonas and Aimars of the future.”

Aimar added: “I feel very honoured to be taking part in this event. I have very fond memories of the tournament we won in 1997. It meant the kick-off of a great footballing career for me and for many of my team-mates.” Maradona, one of the greatest players in history, won the U-20 World Cup in 1979 in Japan before winning the FIFA World Cup seven years later at Mexico 1986, while he reached another final four years later at Italy 1990. He played for several top clubs including Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona, S.S.C. Napoli and Sevilla FC, and also coached La Albiceleste at the 2010 World Cup. He recently joined the FIFA Legends, and this will be the first time that he has set foot on Korean soil in 22 years since his last visit with Boca Juniors.

Aimar, a creative and elegant midfielder in his prime, started his career at River Plate and later played for Valencia CF and Real Zaragoza in Spain, as well as for Benfica in Portugal. He was part of the Argentine golden generation that won the U-20 World Cup in 1997 alongside the likes of Juan Román Riquelme, Esteban Cambiasso, Walter Samuel and Diego Placente.