Top Five Youngest FIFA World Cup Winners

The FIFA World Cup is one of the most prestigious honors a football player can have to their name. Among the hundreds and thousands of players across the world, it is a lifelong dream to achieve this great triumph for the sake of their homeland, and their country. Over the years, there have been many who have achieved this tremendous feat but for this one, we will be focusing on the youngest World Cup winners. 

For the most part, it takes many players years to achieve their dream of lifting the World Cup. For many, it remains an unfulfilled dream and the only missing piece to an otherwise unbelievable collection of trophies. At the same time, there are some players who have the good fortune of achieving this massive milestone very early on in their life. 

That said, let’s look at some of the youngest players not just to play in the World Cup but also to win it. Whilst the list of the youngest World Cup winners includes some recognizable players, their contributions during the campaign may not be that well-known. Thus, let us count down our top 5 picks for the Youngest World Cup winners and how they helped their respective countries win one of the most important trophies in all of football. 

Top 5 Youngest World Cup Winners

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5. Thierry Henry ( 20 years)

Thierry Henry is one of the most renowned attacking players to have ever graced the game and one of France and Arsenal’s finest-ever goal-getters. Throughout his trophy-laden career, one of his most important achievements was when he became one of the youngest World Cup winners with France in 1998. Having burst onto the scene at the time, Henry was part of one of the most legendary casts that France has ever put out. With the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram, Laurent Blanc, and more, it was clear that it was a team built to win trophies. 

Despite these great names, Thierry Henry earned his right to be one of the youngest-ever World Cup winners, having contributed to three goals in six games. That said, owing to his age and relative inexperience at the time, Titi was left on the bench for the final which saw France beat Brazil 3-0. Regardless, he was an important member of the squad and showed why he was deserving of his medal. While he would go on to represent the country in the next three World Cups as well, it was perhaps his start with the national team in 1998 that set the tone for all that he would go on to achieve in his career. 

4. Kylian Mbappe (19 years)

When the 2018 World Cup came about, France were once again one of the clear favorites to win it all. With the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, and Olivier Giroud and a wealth of defensive talent among their ranks, the French team was perhaps one of the more complete squads at the tournament. That said, it was also when Kylian Mbappe announced himself to the world and kickstarted his meteoric rise to fame. In a campaign that saw him blitzing past defenses in a flash, Mbappe netted against Peru, but it was his brace against Argentina in the Round of 16 that really put him in front of the big lights. 

At the time, the young Frenchman was already tearing up Ligue 1 with AS Monaco, and his performances at the World Cup only elevated his stock and status. As a result, Paris Saint Germain’s hand was forced and they splashed more than $200 million on the teenager to bring him to the Parc des Princes. Years ahead, it was a key moment in Mbappe’s life, one that saw him take over during the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina all on his lonesome and put in one of the most iconic performances in the history of the competition.

3. Giuseppe Bergomi (18 years)

Perhaps one of the lesser-known talents on this list, Guiseppe Bergomi is not only one of the youngest World Cup winners but is widely regarded as one of the best Italian defenders of all time. Having broken through the ranks at Inter Milan, the versatile right-back quickly showed his quality which led to national team coach Enzo Bearzot to include the teenager in his 1982 World Cup squad. Whilst Bergomi started the tournament on the bench, he was quickly integrated during the Group stages, which saw him mark out some of the most reputable attacking talents of the era.

Names like Socrates, Serginho, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge were some of the talents that were locked up by the young Italian and added to his ‘penitentiary’. Looking back, it was a crucial campaign for the young full-back, whose energy and aggression during games was vital during games. Having made his senior debut for Inter Milan only a year prior, Bergomi was like a diamond that had been unearthed in plain sight. That said, by the time the next World Cup came about, the young defender had earned his stripes and become captain, guiding his side to a third-place finish in 1986. Bergomi is also one of the youngest World Cup winners.

2. Ronaldo Nazario (17 years)

Avid readers of our page will be well-familiar with the feats of Ronaldo Nazario, the one they call ‘El Fenomeno’. A generational talent, Ronaldo was quick to break through into the ranks of the Brazil national team at a very young age. However, when he became one of the youngest World Cup winners, he was very much a raw talent and spent the 1994 World Cup campaign on the bench. That said, he used the time to learn as much as he could and adapt so that when it was time, he could be the man his country would turn to.

During the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo Nazario was key in helping his country win the World Cup again and repay the faith that his manager had put in him all those years back. While knee injuries hampered his legendary career, Ronaldo Nazario remains one of the most highly sought-after and iconic attackers ever graced the game. By and large ‘El Fenomeno’ had a short time at the top of the game, but in that time, he was near well unplayable and will forever be remembered as such. 

1. Pele (17 years)

 One of the greatest football players in the history of the sport started his story when he played a key role in helping Brazil win the World Cup in 1958. That said, Pele wasn’t on the sidelines or a bit-part player, but rather on the front lines, leading the charge for the Brazil national team. Most importantly, it was Pele’s brace against Switzerland in the final that led to Selecao’s first-ever World Cup win. A truly historic moment, well before our time, but the people of Brazil can never forget or forsake what the prodigal attacker did for them and their footballing history. 

Over the years, the Brazilian legend managed to achieve numerous triumphs and accolades which saw him be hailed as one of the greatest of all time. That said, it is moments and achievements like these that further solidify a player’s reputation. As for Pele however, becoming the youngest ever World Cup winner was only the beginning of his story and a sign of the incredible things still to come.

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