Pele remains the benchmark, winning the World Cup at the age of 17 and becoming the youngest player to score in a final. Kylian Mbappé is next, and he’s doing so at 19 years old. They may not have made it that far, but three days into the 23rd edition of the World Cup, some young players are already seeing their potential. Lamin Yamal has not started yet.
Step forward: Gilberto Moura and Ayoub Boadi. Not far behind them are Luc de Fougerolles and Nestori Iranconda. The Mexican Moura turns 17, the Moroccan Bouadi turns 18 in October, and the Canadian Fogerol and the Australian Iranconda turn 20 months before the start of the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Turkish midfielder Arda Guler does not appear in this conversation because he is 21 years old.
About Irankunda first. Few players in the world can ignore Vinicius Junior’s joy, the one that earned Brazil a point in their opening match against Morocco earlier on Sunday. After latching on to a pass from Bruno Guimaraes and taking advantage of Achraf Hakimi’s tendency to stay high up the pitch, Vinicius Junior cut the ball in, beat Nel Alainu and fired in. That led to Morocco’s goal being neutralized by Ismail Sibari – who couldn’t walk until he was two and had retaliated against Anderlecht by dropping him because he was fat, what else, and scored against them as a boy – who volleyed Alisson Becker after Brahim Diaz had set him up with a peachy pass.
Goals from Vinicius Junior and Saibari put Irankunda’s goal in mind. Seventeen seconds was all Australia needed to counter-attack after Patrick Beech successfully blocked Guler’s first effort. Beach fed the ball to Irankunda – like Canada captain Alphonso Davies, starting life as a refugee – with two touches down the field. Irankunda went inside, saw where goalkeeper Ugurkan Cakir was, and instead of doing what Vinicius Junior did, he chose the more difficult option of shooting at the near post. And nailed it.
Before Irankunda became Australia’s youngest goalscorer, Boadi was overseeing Casemiro and Guimaraes in midfield. It is as long and powerful as the Yamal but runs in a deeper, more central area. At the age of 16 years and three days, Lil Boadi was considered good enough to make his debut in the Conference League.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Nasser Al-Khelaifi was present in New Jersey, and although Vitinha, Joao Neves and Ferran Torres make up the best midfield in football, it is unlikely that Boadi will be surplus to requirements. Not after completing 60 passes, 16 of which were in the final third against Brazil. Not after six fumble recoveries, five interceptions, nine duels and three turnovers. Accuracy is an important part of Bouadi’s game, which is unusual for a teenager who focuses on math and physics when he’s not focused on finding his teammates with killer passes. He could have played for France but chose Morocco.
Moura was chanting his name at the Estadio Azteca when he entered the Mexico-South Africa match as a second-half substitute. On the afternoon Raul Jimenez, more than twice Moura’s age, scored his first World Cup goal, the midfielder was calm, kept the ball in difficult areas and showed why elite clubs are monitoring him. Known as Mexican Pedri, Mora tells you everything you need to know about him.
Finally, Fougerolle. The Canadian ball-carrying centre-back may remind people of Josko Gvardiol in 2022, as he has the Croatian’s confidence and leadership skills. He can protect the ball and is not afraid to dribble. Fogerol learned his playing skills at Fulham and now plays in Belgium.
Australia’s thrashing against Turkey, which took almost 30 shots but did not score a goal, also saw the son of an Anglo-Indian mother get playing time in a World Cup match when Nishan Velupillai came on in the second half. This happened hours after Qatar got its first point in the finals and a day after Canada got its first point. Morocco showed that although they were awarded the Africa Cup of Nations title as an afterthought, reaching the semi-finals in 2022 was no fluke.
All of this brought the World Cup to life. The same goes for youthful vitality. “Young dreams must be dreamed together, young hearts must not be afraid,” Cliff Richards sang all those years ago. These youngsters have done so in a competition that also revolves around the last dance for Neymar Junior – injured and therefore little more than heavy jewellery, a hat and a wave on Sunday – Edin Dzeko, Luka Modric and Casemiro, and whisper-so Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
