Lamine Yamal scored his first World Cup goal for Spain and, at a very young age, has already established himself among the greats. At just 18 years and 343 days old, he surpassed Lionel Messi, considered by Yamal himself as the GOAT, as one of the youngest players to score in this tournament, but still far from Pele.
What was the Argentine No. 10’s age when he scored his first World Cup goal? 18 years and 357 days. It came against Serbia and Montenegro in Germany 2006.
For his part, Cristiano Ronaldo’s first World Cup goal came a bit older. It arrived when he was 21 years and 132 days old, also at Germany 2006, when he scored for Portugal in his team’s 2–0 victory over Iran.
A curious fact about this ranking is that the player in third place, completing the podium of the youngest goalscorers, is a teammate of Yamal. Gavi was 18 years and 110 days old when he scored in Spain’s 7–0 win over Costa Rica at Qatar 2022.
Lamine Yamal #19 of Spain.
Pele remains the youngest
Nearly seven decades later, Pele still holds the historic record as the youngest player ever to score in a FIFA World Cup match. The legendary Brazilian forward achieved this monumental feat on June 19, 1958, during the tournament held in Sweden.
He was just 17 years and 239 days old when he controlled the ball in the penalty area and net the decisive, brilliant goal in a 1–0 quarterfinal victory against Wales, cementing a timeless milestone that remains completely untouched to this day.
Messi and Ronaldo hold World Cup records in this tournament
At the FIFA World Cup 2026, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have made history by becoming the first players to officially feature in six consecutive World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026), further cementing their unmatched longevity at the highest level.
Mexican goalkeeping icon Guillermo Ochoa has also achieved the historic milestone of being selected for a sixth World Cup squad; however, unlike Messi and Ronaldo, he has yet to play any minutes on the pitch in this tournament, meaning he is still waiting to officially register an on-field appearance for this edition.
