The youngest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history was Pelé. He was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored Brazil’s winning goal against Wales in the 1958 quarter-final.
Pelé had missed Brazil’s first two matches in Sweden because of a knee injury, but he entered the lineup for the knockout stage. Against Wales on June 19, 1958, he controlled a cross from Didi and finished from close range. The goal made him the youngest scorer in World Cup history, a record that still stands.
That tournament launched Pelé internationally. He scored six goals in total, including a semi-final hat-trick against France and two goals in the final against Sweden. His final appearance also made him the youngest scorer in a World Cup final, at 17 years and 249 days.
A common mix-up is confusing the overall record with the final-only record. Michael Owen, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé all scored very young, but each was older than Pelé when opening their World Cup accounts.