5 Teenagers who took the World Cup by storm

#1 Pele (1958)

Pele: The greatest of all time

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, more famously known as Pele, is considered by most as the greatest ever player to have graced the beautiful game.

At 17-years of age, Pele is the youngest player on this list and surely the best of the lot. Pele's sparkling performances won him the Silver Ball and the best young player awards on the way to lifting the 1958 world cup.

The Brazilian maestro arrived in Sweden with a niggling knee injury which limited his game time in the first round. His debut finally came in the third game of the first round as he assisted Vava’s second goal against the USSR.

However, it was in the knockout stages where people truly witnessed Pele’s unrivalled genius. In the quarter finals against Wales, Pele scored the only goal of the game while in the semi-finals, Pele scored a 23-minute hattrick as Brazil smashed France 5-2.

In the final against hosts Sweden, Pele scored one of the greatest goals of the tournament as they won 5-2, providing him with the first taste of international success.

Pele ended the tournament with 6 goals, second only to Just Fontaine’s record 13 strikes.

The 1958 world cup made the whole world stand up and take notice of Pele’s talents as he ruled the footballing world for the next 12 years winning two more world cups on the way.