5 Teenagers who took the World Cup by storm

As Kylian Mbappe scored the winner against Peru on Matchday 2, the 19-year old Frenchman became only the 18th teenager to score at the World cup finals. Mbappe is certainly a special talent and a proof of the saying “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.”

Talents such as Mbappe are once in generation players and therefore need to be nurtured carefully. World Cups have had a habit of springing in pleasant surprises including youngsters showcasing maturity far beyond their age.

Here are 5 such players who performed admirably at the World Cup at such a young age:

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#5 Lionel Messi (2006)

Messi has come a long way from the streets of Rosario

Perhaps the greatest player of this generation alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi has always been destined for greatness since his teenage days. Having made his Barcelona debut at the age of 17, International recognition wasn’t too far behind for the youngster.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see the 18-year old pack his bags for the 2006 World cup. Messi remained on the bench for their opening day victory against the Ivory Coast but soon made his World cup debut against Serbia and Montenegro, coming on as a second-half substitute.

The rising star did not disappoint as he scored one and set up another despite playing just 15 minutes. Messi made another cameo appearance against Mexico in the round of 16 in which he appeared to score the winner but it was controversially ruled offside.

The teenager was dropped for Argentina’s 4-2 quarterfinal loss to Germany, a decision which garnered widespread criticism from the Argentinian press and supporters.

Now in his 4th world cup, the 31-year old still has a chance to end his International trophy drought as his side take on a strong French team in the round of 16 clash.

#4 Dmitri Sychev (2002)

Sychev: Russia's best player in 2002

Although USA’s Landon Donovan was named the best young player at the 2002 World cup finals but he wasn’t really a teenager. That accolade fell to Russia’s Dmitri Sychev who lit up the tournament co-hosted by Japan & Korea.

Nicknamed the ‘Russian Michael Owen’, the young forward was just 18 years of age when he arrived in Japan & Korea. Despite crashing out in the group stages, Sychev emerged with flying colours. The young forward scored one and set up another as the Russians endured a disappointing campaign.

As a result, Sychev became the 4th youngest goal scorer at the finals. His electric performances at the world cup earned him a move to French side Olympique Marseille where he was expected to form a formidable partnership with future Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.

However, the move did not go according to plan as he returned to Russia after two unsuccessful seasons at the Orange Velodrome.

The 34-year old, who once was Russia’s great hope, currently plies his trade in the 3rd tier of Russian football having made his last appearance for the National Team in 2010.

#3 Jose Altafini (1958)

Brazil's loss but Serie A's gain

One of the most talented Brazilian footballers of his generation, Jose Altafini, better known as ‘Mazzola’, was one of the young stars of the 1958 winning team that included a 17-year old Pele.

Mazzola set the tournament alight as the then 19-year old ripped apart the Austrian defence in the opening game, helping himself to a brace in the process. A minor injury put his World cup in jeopardy but the forward came back stronger as he assisted Pele in a 1-0 victory over Wales in the quarterfinals.

Scintillating performances from Vava and Pele meant that Altafini had to watch on from the bench as Brazil lifted their first ever Jules Rimet trophy.

After the World cup, Altafini joined AC Milan, enjoying extraordinary success and he currently stands as the joint 4th top scorer in Serie a history.

Altafini’s ventures abroad meant his Selecao career was cut short as Brazil at the time, never called up players based overseas. Altafini instead represented Italy at the 1962 world cup, which ended in a disappointment as they crashed out in the first round.

Surprisingly, Mazzola never received an international call-up thereafter.

#2 Michael Owen (1998)

Injuries took a toll on his career

A former Ballon d'Or winner, Michael Owen was a prodigious talent for Liverpool and England. A lethal combination of rapid pace and clinical finishing meant that Owen was known as the baby-faced assassin.

Having burst onto the scene with Liverpool during the 1997-98 season, the 18-year old become England’s youngest ever player at the world cup. He made his world cup debut as a substitute against Tunisia and scored his first goal in the 2nd group game against Romania.

But it was the 2nd round match against Argentina that summed up Owen’s electric genius. A sensational individual run from the halfway line, shrugging off challenges from three Argentine defenders, yet retaining the composure to lift the ball over the goalkeeper.

Owen went on to become one of England’s great centre-forwards, currently standing 5th in the list of all-time top scorers with 40 strikes in 89 games.

Despite his achievements, a wretched injury record meant that his electric pace and agility was gone by the age of 26, preventing him from truly becoming an all-time great.

#1 Pele (1958)

Pele: The greatest of all time

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more famously known as Pele, is considered by most as the greatest ever player to have graced the beautiful game.

At 17-years of age, Pele is the youngest player on this list and surely the best of the lot. Pele's sparkling performances won him the Silver Ball and the best young player awards on the way to lifting the 1958 world cup.

The Brazilian maestro arrived in Sweden with a niggling knee injury which limited his game time in the first round. His debut finally came in the third game of the first round as he assisted Vava’s second goal against the USSR.

However, it was in the knockout stages where people truly witnessed Pele’s unrivalled genius. In the quarter finals against Wales, Pele scored the only goal of the game while in the semi-finals, Pele scored a 23-minute hattrick as Brazil smashed France 5-2.

In the final against hosts Sweden, Pele scored one of the greatest goals of the tournament as they won 5-2, providing him with the first taste of international success.

Pele ended the tournament with 6 goals, second only to Just Fontaine’s record 13 strikes.

The 1958 world cup made the whole world stand up and take notice of Pele’s talents as he ruled the footballing world for the next 12 years winning two more world cups on the way.