Youngest Footballers: Well, representing their country at the most prestigious football tournament, the FIFA World Cup, has always been the ultimate dream for a majority of football players out there. While getting picked up to finally live that dream requires a lot of commitment, dedication and experience of years, interestingly, a few football players got an opportunity to live that glorious dream at a very young age. Also, not just did they represent their teams at the world’s most decorated football tournament, but they also ended up being the flag bearers for their team and bringing the World Cup home.
List of Top Five Youngest Footballers to Win the FIFA World Cup
- Giuseppe Bergomi
Giuseppe Bergomi was only eighteen years old when he was picked up by the Italian coach Enzo Bearzot to play for Italy’s national football team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Although he made his debut for the Italian national squad as a substitute, his dominance was felt strongly in both the semi-finals and the finals of the tournament. In the semi-finals of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, Bergomi assisted Italy to a formidable 3-1 victory by shutting down Poland’s reigning attacker Rummenigge. Giuseppe Bergomi established himself as one of the youngest football players ever to clinch the FIFA World Cup in 1982.
- Pele
Often hailed as one of the greatest football players of the 20th century, Pele defied the odds of his age and made a classic debut for the Brazilian national football team at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Although Pele was a little out of form due to a knee injury, the then football manager of the Brazilian national football squad, Vicente Ítalo Feola still played the trump card of getting him on board, and it undoubtedly worked in Brazil’s favor and assisted Brazil’s phenomenal 2-0 victory against USSR. Additionally, Pele also proved to be a dominant force for Brazil in the semi-finals against France and was also the youngest football player ever to score a hat trick at the FIFA World Cup.
- Ronaldo Nazario
Next, at the third spot on our list of the top five youngest football players who won the FIFA World Cup, we have Ronaldo Nazario, who made his FIFA World Cup debut for Brazil’s national football team in 1994. Ronaldo Nazario was only seventeen years old when he represented Brazil at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and clinched it. Although Nazario could only make it to the bench and did not get to play even a single minute on the field, he was still officially a part of Brazil’s victorious squad at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. After the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo Nazario became a mainstay in Brazil’s squad at the FIFA World Cup, and he ultimately led the Brazilian side to a formidable victory in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final against Germany.
- Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappé made his senior debut for France at the 2017 FIFA World Cup at the age of eighteen. Although initially Kylian Mbappé received quite a lot of criticism for being “young and inexperienced” to represent France at the world’s most prestigious football tournament, the French footballer quietened down the harsh criticism with his dominating performances throughout the tournament that Indian defied his age. Kylian Mbappé’s single goal against Peru made him the youngest football player to ever score a goal in a major tournament. Also, in the round of 16, Kylian Mbappé scored a total of two goals in a span of just five minutes, defeating Argentina with a formidable 4-3 score. After Pele, Kylian Mbappé became the second-youngest player to ever clinch the FIFA World Cup in 2017.
Read More
ALSO READ: Beyond The Spotlight: The Most Dedicated Players In Football History
- Thierry Henry
At the fifth spot on our list of the top five youngest football players who won the FIFA World Cup, we have one of the greatest strikers of all-time, Thierry Henry. The French football player made his debut for France’s FIFA World Cup squad in 1998 at the young age of twenty. Thierry Henry unleashed his dominating fury on the football field and scored thrice in six matches. After playing a pivotal role in securing France’s victory at the 1999 FIFA World Cup and establishing himself as one of the youngest and most reliable players in the team, Thierry Henry became a mainstay for France in the next three World Cups in the years 2002, 2006 and 2010.
