Lamine Yamal Enters Pelé Territory and Beats Mbappé With Historic World Cup Goal
- Lamine Yamal is the second player aged 18 or younger to open the scoring in a World Cup match, joining Pelé
- The 18-year-old superstar scored his first World Cup goal younger than Kylian Mbappé did at the tournament
- Barcelona youngster Gavi still holds Spain’s record as the youngest World Cup scorer after his goal in 2022
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Lamine Yamal’s first FIFA World Cup appearance did not produce the statement many expected from Spain’s teenage sensation.
The Barcelona winger featured for only 19 minutes as Spain were held to a frustrating draw by Cape Verde in their opening match of the tournament.
However, his second World Cup outing against Saudi Arabia has already become a historic moment, with the 18-year-old making headlines before half-time.
Source: Getty Images
Lamine Yamal joins Pelé in World Cup history
Yamal wasted little time turning the excitement surrounding him into a record-breaking moment against Saudi Arabia.
The teenager opened the scoring for Spain after receiving a brilliant pass from Mikel Oyarzabal, calmly finding the back of the net to give Luis de la Fuente’s side a 1-0 lead.
According to Opta, Yamal became only the second player aged 18 or younger to score the opening goal of a FIFA World Cup match.
The only player to achieve the feat before him was Pelé, who was just 17 years old when he scored the opening goal for Brazil against Wales during the 1958 World Cup.
The achievement places Yamal among some of the most iconic young talents in World Cup history and also sees him surpass another major benchmark.
Centre Goals reported that the Barcelona teen sensation had scored his first tournament goal at the age of 18 years and 343 days.
That is younger than Kylian Mbappé was when the France forward scored his first World Cup goal.
Mbappé was 19 years and 183 days old when he found the net for France at the 2018 tournament.
Yamal’s goal puts him ahead of one of the biggest stars of the modern era while adding his name alongside Pelé in World Cup history.
Gavi: Spain’s youngest World Cup goalscoring record
Despite making history, Yamal did not break every Spanish age-related World Cup record.
That honour still belongs to his Barcelona teammate Gavi.
According to Sporting News, the midfielder remains Spain’s youngest-ever goalscorer at the World Cup after scoring against Costa Rica during the 2022 tournament.
Source: Getty Images
Gavi found the net in Spain’s impressive 7-0 victory when he was 18 years and 110 days old.
At the time, he became the youngest World Cup goalscorer since Pelé’s record-breaking achievement in 1958.
Yamal’s strike against Saudi Arabia may not have rewritten Spain’s youngest scorer record, but it has placed him in a special category of players who have made their mark on football’s biggest stage at an incredibly young age.
Why Lamine Yamal has African flags on boots
Earlier, YEN.com.gh has reported that Lamine Yamal’s boots have once again drawn attention, this time at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The teenage sensation had the option of representing two African countries internationally, but decided to wear the colours of La Roja.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
