By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-07-20 15:57:52 | Updated at 2026-08-03 06:10:36
1 week ago
Who are the youngest players to score at the FIFA World Cup? We identify the top 10, as well as some other related records.
Top 10 Youngest Goalscorers in World Cup History
- Pelé (17 years, 239 days) – Brazil vs Wales, 19 June 1958
- Manuel Rosas (18 years, 93 days) – Mexico vs Argentina, 19 July 1930
- Gavi (18 years, 110 days) – Spain vs Costa Rica, 23 November 2022
- Ibrahim Mbaye (18 years, 143 days) – Senegal vs France, 16 June 2026
- Michael Owen (18 years, 190 days) – England vs Romania, 22 June 1998
- Nicolae Kovács (18 years, 197 days) – Romania vs Peru, 14 July 1930
- Dmitri Sychev (18 years, 231 days) – Russia vs Belgium, 14 June 2002
- Kerim Alajbegovic (18 years, 276 days) – Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Qatar, 24 June 2026
- Lamine Yamal (18 years, 343 days) – Spain vs Saudi Arabia, 21 June 2026
- Lionel Messi (18 years, 357 days) – Argentina vs Serbia, 16 June 2006
1. Pelé (17 years, 239 days)
Brazil vs Wales – 19 June 1958
Pelé is the youngest player to score at a men’s FIFA World Cup finals. In fact, the Brazilian is the only player ever to score while under the age of 18 in tournament history, which is made even more impressive considering he scored six times while still 17 on the way to glory with Brazil at the 1958 World Cup.
He is therefore responsible for all six goals scored by a player before turning 18 years old in World Cup history.
His goal in the quarter-final match against Wales came when he was aged just 17 years and 239 days old.
As if scoring six goals as a 17-year-old in his first ever World Cup wasn’t impressive enough, his goals included a hat-trick in the semi-final against France, before he added two more in the final against Sweden to help Brazil win their first ever FIFA World Cup title.
Pelé remains the fifth-youngest player to play in a World Cup – that record belongs to Northern Ireland’s former Manchester United midfielder Norman Whiteside, who was 194 days younger than the Brazilian on his debut.
2. Manuel Rosas (18 years, 93 days)
Mexico vs Argentina – 19 July 1930
Mexican defender Manuel Rosas is the second-youngest goalscorer in a men’s World Cup match, but he did actually score a ‘goal’ at an even younger age.
When aged just 18 years and 93 days old in July 1930, Rosas scored two goals for Mexico in their 6-3 defeat to Argentina. Just three days earlier, however, he scored at an even younger age (18 years, 90 days), but it was an own goal in the wrong net for Chile.
This was the first own goal scored in FIFA World Cup history, while his first goal at the right end – the one which makes him the second youngest scorer in World Cup history – was the first penalty ever scored in the history of the competition.
If you’re answering a quiz question about World Cup firsts and you’re in doubt, just guess Manuel Rosas.
3. Gavi (18 years, 110 days)
Spain vs Costa Rica – 23 November 2022
Gavi made his World Cup debut for Spain against Costa Rica in the 2022 World Cup, marking that special occasion with a goal.
In doing so, he became the third-youngest goalscorer in World Cup history, and the youngest European to net at the tournament.
Gavi’s sweet volley from the edge of the box was Spain’s fifth goal in a 7-0 rout of Costa Rica, a game where they also broke the World Cup record for the highest possession and most successful passes in 90 minutes.
4. Ibrahim Mbaye (18 years, 143 days)
Senegal vs France – 16 June 2026
At 18 years 143 days, Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye became the youngest African goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup and the second youngest player to score on his debut in the competition after Spain’s Gavi (18 years, 110 days) in 2022.
He scored a 95th-minute consolation goal after coming on as a sub 75 minutes into the match, with Senegal eventually losing the contest against France 3-1 in the United States.
5. Michael Owen (18 years, 190 days)
England vs Romania – 22 June 1998
Michael Owen’s first World Cup goal came in England’s group-stage game against Romania in June 1998, when Owen was aged just 18 years, 190 days old.
The 2001 Ballon d’Or winner added another goal at the 1998 World Cup, scoring one of the most memorable England goals in World Cup history in their last-16 meeting with Argentina.
Unfortunately for England and Owen, that game ended in defeat and Owen’s quest for more World Cup goals as a teenager stopped there.
The Youngest Player to Score a World Cup Hat-Trick
Not content with being the youngest scorer in men’s World Cup history, Pelé scored a hat-trick just five days later in Brazil’s semi-final victory over France at the 1958 World Cup.
The Brazilian is the only player under 19 years old to score a hat-trick in the competition’s history (17 years, 244 days old), with the next youngest Germany’s Edmund Conen (19 years, 198 days) against Belgium in 1934.
The youngest player to score more than three goals in a single men’s World Cup match is Ernst Wilimowski for Poland against Brazil in 1938. He was 21 years and 347 days old when he scored four in a single match, 20 years before Pelé entered the World Cup scene.
The Youngest Player to Score in a World Cup Final
Let us shock you. Pelé also holds the record for the youngest player to score a goal in a men’s World Cup final match.
The Brazilian legend scored twice in Brazil’s 5-2 win over Sweden in the 1958 final, aged just 17 years and 249 days old. His brace meant he ended the tournament with six goals, despite not yet turning 18.
The only other teenager to score in a World Cup final is Kylian Mbappé for France in the 2018 final versus Croatia. Mbappé was just 19 years and 207 days old when scoring in the final in Moscow, which France eventually won 4-2.
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