Lamine Yamal has won the 2026 World Cup final for Spain against Argentina. Poised to be one of soccer’s top players for years to come, how does the Spaniard compare to Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, and Pele‘s age when they won their first world titles?
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.
🥺🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal at full time.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 19, 2026
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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.
