Spain’s Lamine Yamal joins Pele in elite World Cup goalscoring record books

The Spain forward has also become his country’s second-youngest scorer in World Cup history

Spanish forward Lamine Yamal has made a far bigger impact on his first World Cup start than he did on his debut appearance from the bench, scoring early against Saudi Arabia and etching his name into football history alongside Pele.

The Barcelona forward put Spain ahead in the 10th minute of Sunday's match in Atlanta.

Mikel Oyarzabal delivered a superb pass from the left towards the far post, and Yamal slid in to steer the ball into the net.

At 18 years and 343 days old, Yamal became only the second player aged 18 or younger to score the opening goal of a World Cup match in the tournament’s 96-year history.

Pele was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored Brazil’s only goal against Wales in the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup. That strike also made the Brazilian legend the youngest goalscorer in World Cup history -- a record that still stands today.

Pele remains the only player to have scored at a World Cup before turning 18. He later hit a hat-trick in the semi-finals and scored twice in the final as Brazil lifted the trophy.

Yamal now sits eighth on the list of the youngest World Cup goalscorers.

Among Spanish players, only Gavi has scored at a younger age at the World Cup. Gavi was 18 years and 110 days old when he netted Spain’s fifth goal in a 7-0 victory over Costa Rica at the 2022 tournament.