WORLD CUP RECORDS (Part 2) - THE YOUNGEST PLAYERS


Picture : Norman Whiteside, already 40 years record !


Youngest Player: Norman Whiteside 

*Norman Whiteside’s record (playing at age of 17 years 41 days) stands already 40 years. 
*Pelé (Brazil) is still the only player younger than 18 to appear in a final game and also to become the champion: 17 years 249 days vs Sweden on 29 June 1958.

*After Pelé and Whiteside, only players from two African countries appeared being under 18 (three from Cameroon, two from Nigeria), all between 1994 and 2002. So, the list of 17-year participants includes now 7 names, without any new name during last 20 years.  

*Among the players ever included in the squads, there was one under 17 years: Edu (Brazil), full name Jonas Eduardo Américo. He was 16 years 339 days young at the start of World Cup 1966. 
Unfortunately, Silvio Feola, the “Seleção” coach at that failure (for his team) tournament, didn’t give him a chance to appear. 

*Tony Meola (USA) is the youngest captain at the World Cups: 21 years 109 days old in a game vs Czechoslovakia (1-5) on 10 June 1990.

*Souleymane Mamam (Togo) appeared in a qualifier vs Zambia on 6 May 2001 being just 13 years 310 days old. He is youngest ever player in the World Cup qualification. 


 PlayerCountryAge (Y-D)DateGame
      
1Norman WhitesideNorthern Ireland17-04117/06/1982Yugoslavia 0-0
2Samuel Eto'o Cameroon17-09917/06/1998Italy 0-3
3Femi OpabunmiNigeria17-10112/06/2002England 0-0
4Salomon Olembe Cameroon17-18511/06/1998Austria 1-1
5Pelé Brazil 17-23515/06/1958Soviet Union 2-0
6Bartholomew OgbecheNigeria17-24402/06/2002Argentina 0-1
7Rigobert SongCameroon17-35319/06/1994Sweden 2-2
8Carvalho Leite Brazil 18-02520/07/1930Bolivia 4-0
9Manuel Rosas Mexico18-08713/07/1930France 1-4
10Christian EriksenDenmark18-12014/06/2010Netherlands 0-2
11Segundo DurandalBolivia18-12217/07/1930Yugoslavia 0-4
12Bertus de HarderNetherlands 18-14205/06/1938Czechoslovakia 0-3
13Vincent Aboubakar Cameroon18-14819/06/2010Denmark 1-2
14Assimiou ToureTogo 18-16313/06/2006South Korea 1-2
15Michael OwenEngland18-18315/06/1998Tunisia 2-0
16Chris Wood New Zealand 18-19015/06/2010Slovakia 1-1
17Giuseppe BergomiItaly18-19505/07/1982Brazil 3-2
18Nicolae KovacsRomania18-19714/07/1930Peru 3-1