World Cup 2018: 7 teenagers playing in the World Cup

The 2018 World Cup in Russia commences in a week and a number of top professional footballers will look to displays their skills on the biggest showcase event in the world.

All the 23-man squads of the nations participating at the World Cup have been announced and there are some exciting young prospects in the mix. However, interestingly this is the first time since 1990 that no player younger than 19-years-old has been selected by any of the final 32 teams.

Here we take a look at the seven teenagers on show at the FIFA World Cup:

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#7 Kylian Mbappe

16-year-old Kylian Mbappe broke Thierry Henry's record as the youngest player to appear for Monaco's senior team in 2015 and set his sights on collecting football riches. The following season, Mbappe inspired the club to beat a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title and was named the breakout star in the league.

The 19-year-old will be a pivotal figure in Didier Deschamps' attacking arsenal and could be the stand out performer amongst a host of star names at the World Cup. Mbappe will team up with a number of clever attacking players, playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world like Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele, Chelsea's Olivier Giroud, Atletico Madrid's Antonio Griezmann and Ligue 1 stars in Thomas Lamar and Florian Thauvin.

#6 Daniel Arzani

Arazni at a training session with the Australian National Team in Antalya

Iranian born Australian winger, Daniel Arzani will be the youngest player at this year's World Cup. At 19 years, the teenager is only 15 days younger than Mbappe and is widely considered to be a promising prospect for the Socceroos.

The Socceroos manager Bert van Marwijk picked him in the squad for the World Cup after judging the winger on his season with the A-League side Melbourne City. Despite bagging just 2 goals and 3 assists to his name in the league, Arzani's end product must improve but he has been given the chance to showcase his talent on the grandest stage by the former Dutch manager.

Arzani made his senior team debut for Australia in the team's 4-0 win against the Czech Republic this past Friday, after he came on as a substitute in the 84th minute of the game.

#5 Francis Uzoho

Francis Uzono

The fourth youngest player in this year's World Cup is Nigeria's goalkeeper Francis Uzoho. The young goalkeeper plies his trade for Spanish La Liga side Deportivo de La Coruna and even made two appearances in the league this season and could be the man between the sticks for the Super Eagles.

Uzoho made his debut for Nigeria's senior team against Argentina in November 2017 and has made three appearances since including the recent game in which the Super Eagles lost 2-1 to England at Wembley. A tall goalkeeper with good agility and reactions, Uzoho could be a man clubs will be keenly watching and tracking the player's displays.

The Nigerian fans seem to be confident with the manager starting the youngster ahead of their other two experienced goalkeepers in the squad at the World Cup. With the faith and backing of the fans and manager, the young goalkeeper will face his biggest test at the tournament.

#4 Jose Luis Rodriguez

Rodriguez in action for Panama

Jose Luis Rodriguez is a 19-year-old Panamanian footballer who plies his trade for Gent in Belgium. The midfielder is an attacking player with great explosive burst and could cause some defenders problems with his trickery as well.

Having enjoyed a decent season with the club, he earned his first national call-up in May 2018 and was named in the preliminary squad for the tournament. Just days later and after his first national team cap, Rodriguez was included in the final 23-man squad and will be buzzing ahead of his first World Cup appearance.

#3 Achraf Hakimi

Achraf Hakimi

19-year-old, Spanish born Moroccan Achraf Hakimi is the third youngest player at the World Cup this year. The Moroccan plays for Spanish giants Real Madrid, and this year became the first Arab player ever to be part of a side that won the UEFA Champions League trophy.

The right-back made nine appearances for Los Blancos in La Liga this season and even found the back of the net on two occasions during the time Dani Carvajal was out injured. Hakimi has had a stellar campaign so far with the Moroccan side as well, guaranteeing their participation at a World Cup tournament after 30 years.

Hakimi made his debut for the senior team of Morocco at the age of 17, back in 2016 and is expected to start in the games against Iran, Portugal, and Spain.

#2 Moussa Wague

Wague (Left) in action for Senegal in training

Senegal qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia with a 2-0 win in South Africa on the 5th match day of Group D in the African qualifiers. In doing so, Moussa Wague is the first AS Eupen player in history to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.

Moussa Wague was part of the Senegalese national squad throughout the World Cup qualifiers and has been a permanent member of the starting eleven. He plays his trade in Belgium with AS Eupen and is considered to be a solid fullback.

Wague, only 19-year-old will be set to appear in his first major tournament with the national squad under coach Aliou Cissé, who has been instrumental in the team's success.

#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold

Arnold's first England Media Day at St George's Park

Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold had a solid season with the Reds that saw him enjoy a consistent spell of playing time in Jurgen Klopp's starting eleven that finished fourth in the English Premier League and reached the UEFA Champions League final.

Widely considered as a surprise inclusion in Gareth Southgate's England squad, the young scouser is a versatile player who can play in central midfield as well as a fullback and winger. The chances of him playing in the starting eleven for the team is a possibility despite his age, as the manager has a range of versatile players to pick from in many positions and form will be the biggest factor in selection.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, is just 19 years old and was born on the 7th of October in 1998 and is merely three days younger than Senegal's Moussa Wague.