Spain winger, Lamine Yamal, on Sunday surpassed Argentina captain, Lionel Messi in list of youngest goalscorers in World Cup history.

Yamal opened his account at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a goal against Saudi Arabia in their second Group H encounter, following an assist from Mikel Oyarzabal.

The match ended 4-0 in favour of Spain as Oyarzabal grabbed a brace against Saudi Arabia.

Yamal’s goal saw him set a unique milestone at the tournament.

Yamal became only the second player aged 18 or younger to score the opening goal in a FIFA World Cup match, with the only other player to do so being a 17-year-old Pele for Brazil against Wales in 1958.

His goal also saw him move ahead of Messi in the list of the youngest goalscorers in World Cup history.

At 18 years and 323 days, Yamal is now the eighth youngest scorer in the tournament history, pushing Messi, who was 18 years and 357 days old when he scored his first World Cup goal, down to ninth.

Top 10 youngest World Cup goalscorers in history:

Pele – 17 years, 239 days

Manuel Rosas – 18 years, 93 days

Gavi – 18 years, 110 days

Ibrahim Mbaye – 18 years, 142 days

Michael Owen – 18 years, 190 days

Nicolae Kovacs – 18 years, 197 days

Dmitri Sychev – 18 years, 231 days

Lamine Yamal – 18 years, 343 days

Lionel Messi – 18 years, 357 days

Julian Green – 19 years, 25 days