By Representing one’s own country in front of the entire nation is everybody’s childhood dream. Playing on the stage in the FIFA world cup amongst millions of spectators may be spine-chilling but it’s something players carry with them till the end of their lives. Here’s a closer look at the 6 youngest players who played the FIFA World Cup and won it!
1. Pele (17 yrs)
Pele is perhaps one of the most well-known footballers in the history of sports! He’s literally the greatest attacking player of the 20th century. Pele was based out of Brazil. He was 17 years and 249 days old in 1958 when he won the FIFA World Cup. He outdid Sweden by 5-2 in the final at the Rasunda Stadium in Solna, Sweden. He was then seen crying in his teammates’ arms after the triumph.
At that time, Pele was also struggling with a knee injury. Manager Vicente Ítalo Feola selected the 17-year-old for the World Cup. He eased him back into action against the USSR. Pele bestowed an assist in Brazil’s 2-0 victory. Later, he became the youngest hat-trick scorer in the FIFA World Cup history. He also won the Chile World Cup in 1962. Later on, he won his third trophy in eight years in Mexico.
2. Kylian Mbappe (19 yrs)
Kylian Mbappe is known for his agility and speed. It legit feels like he’s on a motorbike on a football field. Mbappe became the youngest player to secure a second-half goal in the finals of the 2018 world cup. He brought in the medal for France after 20 years.
Being the youngest and most significant player of France, Kylian Mbappe’s only strike in the 1-0 win over Peru made him the youngest goal scorer. The victory qualified France to the knockout stages. In the round of 16, he scored a brace in 5 minutes. The player knocked out Lionel Messi’s Argentina 4-3.
3. Giuseppe Bergomi (18 yrs)
Giuseppe Bergomi, at 18 years of age, was selected by the Italian national team coach Enzo Bearzot in the 1982 World Cup squad. Bergomi started the tournament on the bench. He did a spectacular job in marking Socrates and Serginho against Brazil in a memorable 3-2 win. He impressed everyone with his skills in the semi-finals and finals.
Given the impossible job of marking the-then reigning 2x Ballon D’or winner Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in the final, he helped Italy keep a clean sheet against Poland in the semi-finals. Bergomi completely took him out of the game. Italy ran out 3-1 winners with him taking part in the build-up for Marco Tardelli’s iconic goal.
4. Ronaldo Nazario (17 yrs)
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima ‘The Phenomenon’ was a generational talent! Had it not been for his serious knee injuries, he would’ve been the greatest ever to play football. In 1994, a 17-year-old Ronaldo was part of the World Cup winning Brazil team in the United States. However, he could only make it to the bench. He did not get an opportunity to play a single minute.
Ronaldo scored a staggering 115 goals in 134 games between 1994 and 1999 during two brilliant spells at Barcelona (37 goals, 34 games) and PSV (46 goals in 42 games). By 23, he had scored over 200 goals for club and country.
5. Thierry Henry (20 yrs)
During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Henry was the limelight of France. He played as a lone striker. Henry managed to score seven goals in seven games. France finished runner-up with Italy winning the final on penalties. After accumulating 123 appearances and 51 goals, Henry retired from international football after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
6. Manual Rosas (18 yrs)
Manual Rosas was a Mexican defender and the second youngest goalscorer in a men’s World Cup match. He scored his first own goal in FIFA World Cup history. This made him the second youngest scorer in World Cup history!
