The youngest player to appear at a World Cup finals was Norman Whiteside of Northern Ireland at the 1982 tournament in Spain, where he overtook Pele’s record aged only 17 years and 41 days.
There’s no-one that young heading to Russia this summer, in fact there are only seven teenagers going to the tournament – so who made this seven was pretty obvious, but the order a little less so.
Here are the 7 youngest players at the 2018 World Cup
7. Jose Luis Rodriguez – Panama
Single-handedly bringing the average age of the Panama squad down by about five years, the Central Americans have 10 players over the age of 30 in their 23 man squad, and four aged over 36. Jose Luis Rodriguez is very much the exception then, aged only 19 – having been born in June 1998. A versatile young winger or forward, best known for his pace and good technique, Rodriguez plays his club football for Gent’s second team in Belgium. He made his international debut in May of this year and has won 2 caps for Panama to date.
6. Moussa Wague – Senegal
Senegal national football team’s midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye (L) and defender Moussa Wague take part in a training session at the Leopold Sedar Senghor stadium in Dakar on May 25, 2018,…
The youngest player in Group H is Senegalese full-back Moussa Wague. Just under four months younger than Rodriguez, Wague also plays his club football in Belgium. He is a first team player at Eupen, who are currently managed by Claude Makelele. A quick and capable right-back who can also deputise at left-back, Wague will battle it out with Youssouf Sabaly for the right-back spot in Senegal’s side.
5. Trent Alexander-Arnold – England
From one right-back to another, in fifth place is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is England’s youngest player heading to Russia. Born in October 1998, Alexander-Arnold is only 19, but he played 33 games in a Liverpool side which reached the Champions League final this season. Alexander-Arnold was previously a regular in England’s youth sides, and even bagged 7 goals from 10 caps for the under-19’s. A quick, hard working full-back with a dangerous cross, Alexander-Arnold is unlikely to start for England, with Kieran Trippier preferred for that right wing-back spot.
4. Francis Uzoho – Nigeria
John Obi Mikel and Francis Uzoho of Nigeria sing the national anthem before the International Friendly match between England and Nigeria at Wembley Stadium on June 2, 2018 in London,…
Unsurprisingly the youngest goalkeeper at this summers finals in Russia, 6 foot 5 inch shot stopper Francis Uzoho was also born in October 1998. The youngest foreign goalkeeper in La Liga history, Uzoho made two league appearances for Deportivo La Coruna. A former striker turned goalkeeper, having been told he was too slow to play up front, Uzoho ironically looked quite like a centre-forward playing in the net when he let in a Harry Kane shot against England in a recent friendly.
3. Achraf Hakimi – Morocco
A very likely starter for Morocco at the World Cup, 19-year-old Achraf Hakimi made his international debut at the age of 17. A graduate of the Real Madrid academy, Hakimi has been with Los Blancos for more than a decade, and wasn’t even born the last time Morocco reached a World Cup finals. Hakimi played 17 games and scored 2 goals for Real Madrid last season as the club won a third consecutive Champions League title. A quick and versatile footballer, Hakimi is predominantly a right-back, but there’s a chance he could be deployed at left-back to accommodate Nabil Dirar in his favoured position in Russia.
2. Kylian Mbappe – France
Kylian Mbappe of France in action during the International Friendly match between France and Ireland at Stade de France on May 28, 2018 in Paris, France.
The second youngest player going to the 2018 World Cup is without doubt the most high-profile teenager at the tournament. The second most expensive footballer in world football, 19-year-old Mbappe won’t turn 20 until just before next Christmas. An immensely talented young forward who we personally like to see playing through the middle, Mbappe has fantastic pace, skill and confidence for such a young player. He’s a potential future Ballon d’Or winner and is likely, although not certain, to start for France at the finals, where he’ll most probably be played out wide on the right.
1. Daniel Arzani – Australia
The youngest player going to the 2018 World Cup and the only player going to the finals who was born in 1999, Daniel Arzani is also 19, but is a good two weeks younger than Kylian Mbappe. The Melbourne City youngster who can play as a right winger, attacking midfielder or even occasionally as a central striker, was a late arrival into the Australia squad. He has made 22 appearances in the A-League so far, and only made his international debut earlier this month. A fleet footed flair player, Arzani was born in Iran, but his family moved to Australia when he was 7, and the youngster chose to represent his adopted home over his native Iran.
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