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Lamine Yamal opened his World Cup account against Saudi Arabia at the age of just 18, marking a major milestone in his young career.

The Spanish forward scored his first-ever World Cup goal in the clash with Saudi Arabia, placing himself among the youngest players to ever find the net in the tournament’s long history.

Spain entered the match as overwhelming favourites, though they were mindful not to underestimate their opponents after being held to a surprising draw by Cape Verde in their opening fixture.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, have a reputation for causing upsets on football’s biggest stage. Their most memorable World Cup moment came in 2022, when they stunned eventual champions Argentina during the group stages.

Yamal was handed his first start of this World Cup campaign and immediately looked sharp. Saudi Arabia deployed a five-man defensive line to contain La Roja’s attacking prowess, but the young winger found space early on.

It took Yamal just about ten minutes to break the deadlock, slotting in Mikel Oyarzabal’s precise low cross at the far post to give Spain the lead.

At 18 years and 343 days old, Yamal’s goal places him among the top ten youngest scorers in World Cup history, though he is not the youngest.

His team-mate for both club and country, Gavi, sits higher in the record books. Gavi scored at just 18 years and 110 days against Costa Rica at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, ranking as the third youngest scorer ever.

At the very top of this list stands the legendary Pele, who remains the youngest player to score at a World Cup. He achieved that feat at only 17 years and 239 days old in the 1958 tournament in Sweden, netting against Wales. That same year, he helped Brazil lift the trophy, becoming the youngest World Cup winner in history.

Yamal’s goal against Saudi Arabia places him seventh on the all-time list, just ahead of Lionel Messi, whose iconic number 10 shirt he now wears at Barcelona.

Besides Pele and Gavi, only Manuel Rosas, Michael Owen, Nicolae Kovacs, and Dmitri Sychev have scored at a younger age than Yamal.

That puts him ahead of several modern stars, including Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, underlining the magnitude of his achievement.

Yamal’s first World Cup goal came in Atlanta, and given his talent and potential, it is unlikely to be his last.