The FIFA World Cup is prestigious tournament played every four years by qualified countries across every continent, and there are players that have lifted this at a young age.
Winning the FIFA World Cup os not for every player while winning it at a young age comes easy for some of the footballers.
Lionel Messi lifted the trophy at the age of 35 years while Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to win the trophy as he edge closer to 40 years.
Here are some of the players that have won the tournaments at a young age.
Pele 17 years
The magical Brazilian won the World Cup at the age of 17 in the year 1958 with Brazil. Pelé earned his first cap with the national team at 16, and made his debut on the international stage at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden at 17 years old.
Ronaldo De Lima 17 years
Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima ‘The Phenomenon’ was a generational talent. If not for a catalog of serious knee injuries, he would probably be known as 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 only made it to the bench and did not play a single minute.
Giuseppe Bergomi 18 years
At the tender age of 18 years, Bergomi was selected by Italian national team coach Enzo Bearzot in the 1982 World Cup squad. He started the tournament on the bench and during the group stage did a great job in marking Socrates and Serginho against Brazil in a memorable 3-2 win. Bergomi impressed everyone with his maturity in the semi-final and the final.
Kylian Mbappe 19 years
19-year-old Kylian Mbappe announced himself to the world with a second-half goal in final of the 2018 World Cup. Mbappe became the youngest player to score in the World Cup final since Pele in 1958, bringing back the title to France after 20 years. He was one of the most important players for France throughout the campaign. Mbappe’s only strike in the 1–0 win over Peru made the 19-year-old his country’s youngest goal scorer at a major tournament.
Thierry Henry 20 years
Thierry Henry in a star-studded French team including the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Co. Henry, at the age of just 20, burst into the limelight with France, winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup. However, Henry didn’t make an appearance in the finals against Brazil, where France won 3-0. He had already played his role, scoring thrice in six matches.
Enzo Fernandez 21 years
The Argentine midfielder won his first ever World Cup along side Lionel Messi in 2022. Fernandez was phenomenal in the tournament as he also won the best young player in the tournament.
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