World Cup Best Young Player
The winners list of the Best Young Player award. This FIFA World Cup Award is given to the best player in the tournament who is 21 years old or younger. The age is calculated at the start of the calendar year, so players born in 2001 or later are eligible in 2022.
The best young player award was first officially awarded at the 2006 World Cup. The table below lists the winners for the tournaments from 1958, taken from a survey conducted by FIFA to choose the "best young player" of the World Cup for the tournaments from 1958 to 2002.
| Year | Best Young Player | Country | Age (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Enzo Fernandez | Argentina | 21 |
| 2018 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 19 |
| 2014 | Paul Pogba | France | 21 |
| 2010 | Thomas Müller | Germany | 20 |
| 2006 | Lukas Podolski | Germany | 21 |
| 2002 | Landon Donovan | United States | 20 |
| 1998 | Michael Owen | England | 18 |
| 1994 | Marc Overmars | Netherlands | 20 |
| 1990 | Robert Prosinečki | Yugoslavia | 21 |
| 1986 | Enzo Scifo | Belgium | 20 |
| 1982 | Manuel Amoros | France | 21 |
| 1978 | Antonio Cabrini | Italy | 20 |
| 1974 | Władysław Żmuda | Poland | 20 |
| 1970 | Teófilo Cubillas | Peru | 21 |
| 1966 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | 20 |
| 1962 | Flórián Albert | Hungary | 20 |
| 1958 | Pelé | Brazil | 17 |
Related Pages
- More FIFA World Cup awards, including the golden glove award
- Youngest Goal Scorers at the World Cup
- The youngest and oldest World Cup players
- Youngest Goal Scorers at the World Cup
- Winning World Cup countries
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Upcoming Events