By Balogun Kamilu Lekan
5. Pelé – 17 years, 234 days
Brazil vs USSR – June 15 1958
The original record holder and, in many ways, the player still holds most of the youngest World Cup records in men’s football. It could have been a different story if Pelé had recovered from a knee injury that had kept him out of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
After easing back into action against the USSR, even assisting on the second of Vavá’s goals in a 2-0 victory, the Brazilian shone in the knockout stages.
Pelé became the youngest hat-trick scorer in World Cup history in the Seleço’s 5-2 semi-final victory over France after becoming the youngest goalscorer in World Cup history with the only strike in their quarter-final victory over Wales.
A similar scoreline followed in the final against hosts Sweden, with Pelé having to settle for a double as the youngest player to appear and score in a World Cup final at 17 years and 249 days.
He appeared in four World Cup finals and won the Jules Rimet trophy three times. Pele has the most assists in a single tournament, with six in the 1970 World Cup. In addition to his four goals, he was directly involved in 53% of Brazil’s goals in the 1970 World Cup.
4. Salomon Olembé – 17 years, 184 days
Cameroon vs Austria – June 11 1998
Six days before Eto’o made his debut, Salomon Olembé had become Cameroon’s youngest player in the FIFA World Cup finals (and then the second-youngest overall) after breaking into the national team the year before, making his debut against England at the old Wembley Stadium as a 16-year-old.
Olembé was impressive during his first senior season with Nantes in Ligue 1, with the midfielder underscoring his growing reputation in his first AFCON appearance just months before the 1998 World Cup.
Cameroon’s next two games saw him start after a 65th-minute substitute appearance against Austria.
Nonetheless, these were his only World Cup finals appearances, even though he would eventually win 65 caps for his country and was a member of the team that won back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2000 and 2002.
3. Femi Opabunmi – 17 years, 100 days
Nigeria vs England – June 12 2002
Nigeria’s performance in the 2002 tournament was a letdown, with defeats to Argentina and Sweden knocking them out of contention. However, with a 0-0 draw against England in their final game, Femi Opabunmi became the third-youngest player in World Cup history.
The winger had broken through the previous year thanks to some outstanding performances at the under-17 World Cup, including a hat-trick against Australia, which earned him the bronze ball as the tournament’s third-best player.
With Manchester United, Arsenal, and Lyon reportedly interested in signing the youngster, it should have been the start of a promising career. Unfortunately, Opabumi was forced to retire within four years due to an eye problem that progressed to glaucoma and left him blind in one eye.
2. Samuel Eto’o – 17 years, 98 days
Cameroon vs Italy – June 17 1998
Samuel Eto’o made his World Cup debut in a 3-0 loss to Italy, becoming one of the tournament’s youngest players. This was far from the then-Real Madrid player’s debut for his country, having made his debut the day before his 16th birthday the previous year, but it would be the first of four World Cup finals in which Eto’o would appear.
He only played for 24 minutes in 1998, but by 2002, with back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations titles and an Olympic gold medal under his belt, hopes were high that Eto’o could lead his team to a repeat of their 1990 quarter-final appearance.
However, a solitary goal in a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia would be the only goal for Les Lions Indomptables, who were once again eliminated in the group stages.
1. Norman Whiteside – 17 years, 40 days
Northern Ireland vs Yugoslavia – June 17 1982
Despite some early injury setbacks that would eventually end his career, he became the World Cup’s youngest player.
Whiteside broke the record in his country’s first tournament game, but he could not celebrate it with a goal. Instead, he was given a warning and became the youngest player in FIFA World Cup history to receive a yellow card.
Incredibly, Northern Ireland would reach the 1982 World Cup quarter-finals, including a famous 1-0 victory over Spain to qualify from the group stages, before being knocked out by France.
Northern Ireland, and Whiteside, were back at the 1986 World Cup, and he managed to get on the scoresheet with a deflected free-kick against Algeria in a 1-1 draw, though they failed to advance due to two other group stage defeats.
Unfortunately, ten years after his World Cup debut, Whiteside was forced to retire from football due to knee injuries that plagued the final years of his Everton career at 26. He finished his career with 39 Northern Ireland caps and nine goals.
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