Yamal is 19 years and six days old. For instance, Pele was exactly 17 years and 249 days old when he won his first FIFA World Cup in 1958. Hence, Pele is still the youngest World Cup winner in history.

Compared to Diego Maradona, who was 25 years and 242 days old when he lifted the World Cup, Yamal has reached the pinnacle of soccer before the legendary Argentine.

As for Lionel Messi, he earned his (first) World Cup title at 35 years and five months old. Out of this prestigious list, he is by far the one that was the oldest to achieve this feat. Hence, Yamal has accomplished soccer’s ultimate feat way before the greatest of all time.

Yamal’s stats during 2026 World Cup final

Lamine Yamal had a good performance in the World Cup, breaking several records. Per SofaScore, Yamal had a 7.3 rating in the final. Yamal had one key pass, one big chance created, completed 32/39 passes in the opposing half, had four shots (two on target), and had five successful dribbles.

Yamal had a big duel all game long against Argentina’s Nicolas Tagliafico. Yamal got the upper hand in plenty of occasions, but it wasn’t an easy matchup. Still, the fact is at 19 years old, Yamal knows what it’s like to be a World Cup champion. This explains why Yamal is now among the favorites to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

Yamal joins Pele and Maradona in specific World Cup final stat

Yamal, Pele, and Maradona all won their first World Cup final. Their first shot at glory was successful. Messi is the whole opposite. Messi lost his first attempt in 2014, then won his second in 2022, only to lose the third one in 2026.

Both finals Messi lost were in extra time. Hence, with some few details going differently, Messi could’ve gone 3-0 in World Cup finals. However, he trails Maradona, who is 1-1 in finals, and Pele who is 3-0 (only played two), and now Yamal, who is 1-0.

O Rei, considered by many as one of the greatest players of all time, is the only player in history to win three World Cups, achieving the feat with Brazil. Maradona, meanwhile, finished his career with Argentina having won a single World Cup title.

Messi has played in three finals across six World Cup tournaments, and he was only able to lift the trophy once, in Qatar 2022. As a result, he missed the chance to move closer to Pele, and it remains to be seen whether there is any possibility that the No. 10 will play in 2030, something that currently appears unlikely.

Pele’s World Cup titles

Pele is the only player in soccer history to win three FIFA World Cups, lifting the trophy in Sweden 1958, Chile 1962, and Mexico 1970. Throughout his legendary tournament career, he scored a total of 12 goals in 14 matches, including a brilliant brace in the 1958 final at just 17 years old and the opening goal in the 1970 final.

Maradona’s lone World Cup triumph

Diego Maradona cemented his status as a soccer legend by leading Argentina to glory at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, a tournament defined by his iconic performance against England where he scored both the controversial “Hand of God” and the spectacular “Goal of the Century.”

Four years later, Maradona captained the national team to another final at Italia 1990, where Argentina ultimately finished as runners-up after a narrow and dramatic 1-0 defeat against West Germany.

Another World Cup runner-up finish for Messi

Lionel Messi‘s World Cup final legacy is defined by both heartbreak and ultimate glory. After a painful 1-0 extra-time defeat against Germany at Brazil 2014, Messi finally achieved his lifelong dream at Qatar 2022, leading Argentina to the title in one of the greatest finals ever played.

Four years later, he reached the grand stage once again, finishing as a runner-up at the 2026 World Cup to complete an extraordinary career chapters in the tournament’s history.

At 17 years and 249 days old, Pele scored twice in the 1958 FIFA World Cup Final as Brazil defeated host nation Sweden 5-2 to lift their first world title. His performance completed a sensational breakout tournament in which he scored six goals.

Pele’s dominance extended beyond the final. Earlier in the tournament, he had already become the youngest player ever to score in a men’s FIFA World Cup match, a record that also remains untouched more than six decades later.

The youngest goalscorers in FIFA World Cup history

Pele is the only player to score at a men’s FIFA World Cup before turning 18, accounting for all six goals ever scored by players under that age. Since then, several teenage stars have joined the list of the tournament’s youngest scorers, but none have matched the Brazilian icon.

Why Pele’s World Cup final record is so special

Pele’s achievement is unique because it combines youth with the biggest stage in international soccer. Not only did he become the youngest player to score in a World Cup final, but he also finished the tournament with six goals, including a hat trick in the semifinal against France before adding two more in the championship match.

More than 65 years later, no teenager has come close to breaking his World Cup final scoring record. While several young stars have emerged in recent tournaments, Pele’s performance in Sweden remains one of the greatest breakthroughs the sport has ever witnessed.

The record for the youngest player ever to win a FIFA World Cup belongs to the legendary Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento). The Brazilian legend had a terrific World Cup in 1958, ending it in the best way possible.

He set this monumental record during the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, cementing his status as a global phenomenon before he was even legally an adult.

The historic 1958 campaign

Pele was just 17 years and 249 days old when he lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy on June 29, 1958, after Brazil defeated the host nation, Sweden, 5–2 in the final.

Despite his youth, Pele was the defining tactical spark for La Seleção during the knockout stages of the tournament:

• Quarterfinals: Scored the only goal in a tight 1–0 win over Wales, making him the youngest goalscorer in World Cup history (17 years, 239 days).
• Semifinals: Netted a spectacular second-half hat-trick to dismantle a powerful France side 5–2.
• Final: Scored two brilliant goals against Sweden, including an iconic, physics-defying chip over a defender followed by a clinical volley.

Why the record is safely intact

In modern international soccer, the sheer physical, tactical, and mental demands make it incredibly rare for a 17-year-old to break into a senior national squad, let alone dominate a World Cup final.

To put his precocious talent into perspective, Pele didn’t stop with his 1958 heroics—he remains the only player in soccer history to win three World Cups (1958, 1962, and 1970).

While modern superstars have put together incredible teenage runs—most notably Kylian Mbappe, who won the 2018 World Cup at 19 years and 207 days old—Pele’s historic milestone has stood completely unchallenged for nearly seven decades.

Lionel Messi will likely start, and he’d be the only player to do so in three World Cup finals. Maradona played two, in 1986 and 1990. Meanwhile, Pele has three World Cup winning medals, but he only played in 1958 and 1970, as he was injured for the 1962 final matchup. Messi’s record in World Cup finals is also a talking point.

Messi was key for Argentina to reach the 2026 World Cup final, as he provided two assists for the Albiceleste to come back against a tough England side. Cafu is the only player to have participated in three separate World Cup finals, though he didn’t start in all three. He started in 1998 and 2002, and entered the game as a sub in 1994.

Messi could surpass Maradona with a win in another key stat, but still trail Pele

Maradona guided a very depleted Argentina side to the 1990 World Cup final. However, an 85th minute penalty goal by Germany sent the Argentinians home without the trophy. However, a win here would put Messi over Maradona with two World Cup titles.

As for Pele, he has three World Cup titles, so Messi would still leave the United States one short of the Brazilian superstar. Still, Pele won two playing, while the other was on the sidelines. Hence, in that regard Messi could tie him.

Messi would become the second-oldest player to win the World Cup

Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff is the oldest player to win a World Cup. He did it in Spain 1982 at 40 years old. Messi could become the second-oldest winner with 39 years of age, shall Argentina beat Spain in the World Cup final.

Messi has been in a vintage run as he’s scored eight goals and provided four assists en route to the World Cup final. Spain has only conceded once, so he is in for a huge test on July 19th if he wants to give Argentina a fourth World Cup title.

The goal marked Messi’s seventh career strike in FIFA World Cup knockout matches, tying Pele for one of the most prolific scoring records in the tournament’s elimination rounds, according to @MisterChip on X. The Argentine captain reached the milestone despite missing a penalty earlier in the match before delivering when his team needed him most.

Argentina recovered from a two-goal deficit to book their place in the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the Colombia vs. Switzerland Round of 16 matchup as Lionel Scaloni’s side continues their pursuit of consecutive World Cup titles.

Messi joins Pele in knockout scoring history

The updated leaderboard now stands as:

• Kylian Mbappe — 11 goals
• Leônidas — 8 goals
• Ronaldo Nazário — 8 goals
• Lionel Messi — 7 goals
• Pele — 7 goals
• Just Fontaine — 7 goals
• Vavá — 7 goals
• Oldřich Nejedlý — 7 goals

The milestone came in the 83rd minute, when Messi scored from a flowing team move to level the score at 2–2 and give Argentina new life after trailing for much of the match.

Once Enzo Fernández completed the comeback with a dramatic winner in the 92nd minute, sealing the 3–2 victory, Messi celebrated the quarterfinal berth with his teammates after the final whistle, and Argentina’s captain ended up in tears following the dramatic win.

O Rei, considered by many to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, scored 12 goals for Brazil. With his two goals today against the Leopards, Kane reached 13, and that tally could continue to grow.

England will now face Mexico in the Round of 16, with the match set to be played at the legendary Estadio Azteca on July 5. There, the Three Lions‘ path to the final could begin to take shape.

Following the conclusion of this match, the scoring chart at the 2026 World Cup is led by Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, both with six goals. Right behind them are Harry Kane and Erling Haaland with five, while Ousmane Dembele and Vinícius Jr. have each found the net four times.

Harry Kane’s goals at the World Cup

Harry Kane is playing in his third World Cup for England and, so far, has reached the remarkable total of 13 goals. These are each of the goals the center forward has managed to score:

Pele’s goals

The legendary Pele remains one of the most efficient goalscorers in World Cup history, netting 12 goals across four tournaments (1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970) and winning three titles. His World Cup account opened in 1958 with a historic six-goal explosion in Sweden, featuring a winner against Wales, a hat-trick against France in the semifinals, and a brilliant brace against the hosts in the final to lift his first trophy at just 17 years old.

He added one more goal in 1962 against Mexico before an injury sidelined him, and scored another solitary goal in 1966 against Bulgaria during a rough tournament for Brazil. Pele then capped off his majestic international career at Mexico 1970 with four final goals—striking against Czechoslovakia, Romania (2), and opening the scoring with an iconic header against Italy in the final.

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.

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.

Most fans know exactly what a hat-trick signifies: a player scores three goals in a game, and they’ve got a hat-trick. But where did the name actually come from? Surprisingly, the origin has nothing to do with soccer.

It all started with a cricket bowler, H.H. Stephenson. During an 1858 match in Sheffield while playing for the England national team, he hit the wooden stakes behind the cricket batter three times in a row (consecutive wickets). After the game, he was gifted a new hat, and that’s how the term “hat-trick” was born.

The first hat-trick in history

Two decades after the term was coined in cricket, the first international soccer hat-trick was recorded on March 2, 1878, when Scotland’s John McDougall scored three goals against England.

When it comes to domestic leagues, one of the earliest recorded hat-tricks occurred 10 years after McDougall’s international feat. In 1888, William Tait scored three goals against the Bolton Wanderers in what was then the English Football League.

In MLS, the first player to record a hat-trick was D.C. United’s Steve Rammel, who netted three goals to help secure a 5-2 win against the Columbus Crew on May 15, 1996. He was named an MLS All-Star later that year.

The player with the most hat-tricks

According to Guinness World Records, Pelé holds the record for the most hat-tricks with a total of 92 official hat-tricks. That staggering tally spans his career playing for the Brazil national team, Santos FC, and the New York Cosmos. No one has broken that record yet, and it’s highly likely no one ever will.

Cristiano Ronaldo sits in second place with 66 hat-tricks, five more than Messi, who currently has 61 playing for Barcelona, Inter Miami, and Argentina (Messi didn’t manage to score one during his stint with Paris Saint-Germain). However, both legends are tied when it comes to international play, with 11 hat-tricks each for their respective national teams.

Not only has Mbappe steered clear of Pele‘s goals in World Cups, he’s done so in less tournament appearances. The Brazilian appeared in four World Cups (1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970), whereas Mbappe was only making his debut in his third World Cup (2018, 2022, and 2026) as he shattered Pele’s mark.

However, Mbappe has played in more World Cup matches than arguably the greatest Brazilian player of all time. Although Pele won three World Cups and appeared in four tournaments, he played only 14 matches in total.

In fact, Mbappe—who reached the final in each of his first two World Cups—had already matched Pele’s goal and appearance totals before France’s 2026 World Cup opener against Senegal. All things considered, Pele and Mbappe shared the exact same goals-per-game rate, with 12 goals in 14 matches. Now that Mbappe has played his 15th World Cup match, he has moved ahead of Pele by two goals.

Mbappe breaks Fontaine’s record

With his 13th World Cup goal, Mbappe had matched Just Fontaine’s record for the most goals scored by a France player in soccer’s biggest tournament. All signs suggested the 27-year-old striker would surpass Fontaine in no time—and sure enough—he moved into sole possession of first place in national team history with his second of the game against Senegal. While Mbappe is now France’s all-time top scorer, he remains far from Cristiano Ronaldo’s international mark.

Although Mbappe has left Fontaine behind, the latter holds a record that will most likely never be replicated, let alone broken. Fontaine played in only one World Cup—the 1958 edition—and that was enough to leave his mark on the tournament. In six matches, he scored 13 goals, including a four-goal performance against West Germany and a hat trick against Paraguay.

Mbappe is after all-time World Cup goals record

Still, Mbappe is after a bigger prize—chasing Miroslav Klose, who holds the record for the most goals in FIFA World Cup history with 16. Mbappe and Lionel Messi are the two active players closest to the record, with 14 and 13 goals, respectively, at least for the time being.

However, the 2026 World Cup might be Messi’s last, while Mbappe could very well have two more tournaments left in the tank. Based on projections and his current scoring form, Mbappe appears likely to become the leading scorer in World Cup history sooner rather than later.

U.S. President Donald Trump revealed his soccer GOAT after the 2025 Club World Cup final on Sunday, which he attended alongside First Lady Melania and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino. However, the American president didn’t name Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, instead, he chose Brazilian legend Pele.

Speaking to DAZN during the final, Trump said he had watched Pele during the Brazilian’s stint with the now-defunct New York Cosmos. “Many years ago, when I was young, they brought a player called Pele to play, and he played for a team called the Cosmos. And this place was packed, it was an earlier version of this stadium.”

“I don’t want to date myself, but that was a long time ago, and I was a young guy, so I came to watch Pelé and he was fantastic. So probably I’ll go old-fashioned — that’s like saying Babe Ruth, and say Pele was so great,” he added.

Pele played for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League (NASL), which was the top professional league in the United States and Canada at the time, from 1975 to 1977. He scored 37 goals in 64 appearances.

In that sense, just like Lionel Messi today, Pele was one of the first soccer stars to play in the U.S., helping to change the landscape of the sport in the country. Other big names who played in the U.S. at the time include Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia.

United States prepare for the upcoming World Cup

In addition to watching the match, the U.S. president also presented the trophy to Chelsea. The Blues were crowned champions after defeating PSG 3–0 in the final at MetLife Stadium, closing a successful (though eventful) first edition of the revamped Club World Cup.

Having hosted this summer’s expanded Club World Cup, the U.S. will now gear up to stage the FIFA World Cup next year. The global competition will return to North America for the first time in 32 years, with Mexico and Canada also serving as co-hosts.