World Cup is the most prestigious competition in the world of international football and the dream of every professional football player.
The world cup is held every four years and expectation is on the high by millions of football lovers in different countries because the tournament is always filled with dramatic moments, excitements, and surprises.
To be considered amongst the best young players to have graced the world cup, players must not be above the age of 22 which is often the standard set as young players before and during the tournament. In this write up, I will examine the best young players in the world cup from 1958 to 2012 as I deem it from my standpoint.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento known as Pelé (Brazil) 17 years
SWEDEN 1958
At a young age of 17 years, 7 months and 23 days Pele led Brazil to World cup glory in 1958 in Sweden and was duly named the best player of the tournament. Pele was given the mantle to lead the line and trusted with the burden to deliver the goals and he lived up to expectation, Pele also broke various records, such as “the youngest player to score a goal at the World Cup history” and “the youngest player to score a hat trick in a World Cup tournament.”
Pele managed to score six goals in Sweden making him the second top scorer behind Just Fontaine of France. His participation in 1958 is still regarded as the best performance from a young player in the World Cup history. Pele did not only achieve individual success, but also won the tournament. From then on, Pele has been regarded as one of the best footballers of all time.
Florian Albert (Hungary) 20 years
CHILE 1962
Florian Albert was the striker of Hungary in World cup in Chile in 1962 and earned the top scorer of the tournament award Golden Boot along with five other players who scored 4 goals each at the tournament. Hungary got to the quarter-finals round but Albert was one of the stars of the tournament at such a young age of 20 and he gave amazing performances.
He exhibited elegance, skills, and blessed with beautiful playing techniques. His best performance in Chile was when he scored a hat trick in the group stage to help Hungary beat Bulgaria with a huge 6-1 score line.
Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany) 20 years
ENGLAND 1966
Franz Beckenbauer is known for his outstanding leadership qualities and at just a young age of 20, he led West Germany to finish second behind host England in the most controversial final of the world cup in extra time.
He helped his country reach the final round before losing to England through extra time. He played mostly as a libero which is a more versatile type of centre back in football and added that with the qualities of scoring goals from his position , Beckenbauer showed that he remained prolific in scoring goals has he finished third top scorer with a total of four goals.
Teofilo Cubillas (Peru) 21 years
MEXICO 1970
The world cup in 1970 hosted by Mexico witness the emergence of a young striker Teofilo Cubillas who was only 21 but gave a performance of a veteran striker with his explosive style of football.
The Peruvian striker scored a total of five goals and finished as the third highest scorer as Cubillas could only lead Peru to the quarter-finals and scored goals in every match that he played in the tournament.
Cubillas’s Peru was defeated by Brazil in the quarter-finals by 2-1 but his brilliant performance was regarded as one of the best by young players and will forever live in the minds of many.
Władysław Żmuda (Poland)
WEST GERMANY 1974
Władysław Żmuda was a defender in his playing days and made his début at the world cup at the age of 22 years in 1974 world cup in West Germany and with his solid defensive capabilities helped Poland finished third and was instrumental as Poland defeated two title favourite in Italy and Argentina.
Zmuda was named the best young player in West Germany, he went on to appear in 3 further world cup. He was regarded as one of the best defender in the world cup.
Antonio Cabrini (Italy) 21 years
ARGENTINA 1978
Not often will you see defenders winning individual award but Antonio Cabrini of Italy was an exceptional left back and was named the best player at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
Cabrini helped his country reach the semi-finals round and showed brilliant individual performances. Despite not scoring even a single goal, Cabrini successfully demonstrated outstanding forms all trough the tournament.
Cabrini was very strong in defence and always helping in the attack with his overlapping runs. After disappointment of losing out in the semi-finals, Cabrini won the World Cup in 1982.
Manuel Amoros (France) 20 years
ARGENTINA 1982
Manuel Amoros played as a right back for France and played a major role as the Les Blues reached the final four of the tournament in 1982 World cup in Argentina. He was only 20 years old but has a huge responsibilities in the team as his contribution to the success of the team cannot be underestimated.
He could have easily been the hero had his thunderous shot not hit the cross bar in the semi-finals against West Germany and his country would have played in the finals.
Michael Owen (England) 18 years
FRANCE 1998
Michael Owen at the age of 18 years scored one of the best goal of the world cup against Argentina in the second round of the world cup in France 1998 as he ran from the middle of the field and dribbled his way past several Argentine defenders with the ball before finally coolly scoring a beautiful goal.
Michael Owen’s wonderful goal was unfortunately not enough to take England to the quarter finals as they lost in the penalty shoot-out.
Landon Donovan (United States) 20 years
KOREA/JAPAN 2002
Landon Donovan was the star of the tournament for the United States as pundits all over the world predicted an early exit for the Yankee Boys but Donovan shoulder his country responsibilities at such a young age of 20 in Korea/Japan in 2002.
With Donovan scintillating performances, United States reached the quarter-final rounds, beating teams that are much more favoured such as Portugal and Mexico. With an all round performance and a total of two goals, Donavan was named the best young player of the 2002 World Cup.
Thomas Muller (Germany) 20 years
SOUTH AFRICA 2010
Emerging young talented player from Germany named Thomas Muller was one of the stars of the 2010 world cup in South Africa, the first on African soil.
At the young age of 20, wearing the number 13 jersey previously worn by former great Michael Ballack and legendary striker Gerd Muller could have been a burden on him but shown like a million star as he won the heart of so many football lovers with his extra ordinary performance and ability to score goals with ease.
He was joint top scorer in the tournament alongside Uruguan striker Diego Forlan and Holland midfielder Wesley Sneijder with five goals. He was correctly named the best young player of 2010 World Cup and helped Germany win the third place.
With the world cup just days away, a lot of young talent will grace the world cup and expectation will be high as hope of various countries might be placed on the shoulders of this young and developing talents.