Youngest Goal Scorers in World Cup History

The statistics network 'Opta' reviewed in its report a list of the 10 youngest players who scored in the history of the World Cup finals, along with a set of records associated with this achievement.

The report stated that the Brazilian legend Pelé tops the list as the youngest player to score in World Cup history, after scoring his goal against Wales on June 19, 1958, at the age of 17 years and 239 days, becoming the only player to score under 18 years old in the history of the tournament. The report added that he scored 6 goals in that edition at the age of 17, including a hat-trick in the semi-final against France and two goals in the final against Sweden, leading Brazil to win their first title in history.

The report also pointed out that Pelé is the fifth youngest player to participate in the World Cup, preceded in this record by former Northern Ireland player Norman Whiteside by 194 days. He is also the youngest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history at 17 years and 244 days old, and the youngest to score in a World Cup final after scoring two goals against Sweden in the 1958 final at 17 years and 249 days old, while Frenchman Kylian Mbappé is the youngest teenager to score in a World Cup final after him.

The historical list of the youngest scorers in the World Cup includes:

Pelé "17 years and 239 days - Brazil against Wales on June 19, 1958".

Manuel Rosas "18 years and 93 days - Mexico against Argentina on July 19, 1930".

Gavi "18 years and 110 days - Spain against Costa Rica on November 23, 2022".

Michael Owen "18 years and 190 days - England against Romania on June 22, 1998".

Nicolae Kovács "18 years and 197 days - Romania against Peru on July 14, 1930".

Dmitri Sychev "18 years and 231 days - Russia against Belgium on June 14, 2002".

Lionel Messi "18 years and 357 days - Argentina against Serbia on June 16, 2006".

Julian Green "19 years and 25 days - United States against Belgium on July 1, 2014".

Divock Origi "19 years and 65 days - Belgium against Russia on June 22, 2014".

Martin Hoffmann "19 years and 88 days - East Germany against Chile on June 18, 1974".

The report also explained that Mexican defender Manuel Rosas ranks second on the list, having scored two goals in Mexico's match against Argentina in the 1930 World Cup at the age of 18 years and 93 days, but he had scored a goal at a younger age three days earlier against Chile at 18 years and 90 days old, which was an own goal and recorded as the first own goal in World Cup history, in addition to being the first penalty kick scored in the history of the tournament.

In a related context, Spanish player Gavi became the third youngest goal scorer in World Cup history after scoring against Costa Rica in the 2022 World Cup, and also became the youngest European player to score in the tournament, in a match that ended with Spain winning 7-0 and witnessing record numbers in possession and number of passes.

The report confirmed that Pelé remains the only player under the age of 19 who scored a hat-trick in the World Cup, while the German Edmund Conen comes next at 19 years and 198 days old against Belgium in 1934, while Polish player Ernst Wilimowski is considered the youngest player to score more than 3 goals in a single match at 21 years and 347 days old against Brazil in 1938.