10 Youngest Players Called Up For World Cup 2018
Will one of these young superstars steal the show this summer?
Part of the excitement of watching any World Cup is seeing exciting young talents from all around the world strutting their stuff on the grandest stage of all, and countless past tournaments have been filled with examples of raw teenage stars bursting onto the scene and astounding fans all over the world with skills beyond their years.
England fans will remember 18-year-old Michael Owen’s outstanding individual goal at the 1998 World Cup, for example, while a 17-year-old Pelé blew minds and broke records for Brazil at the 1958 edition of the tournament, scoring six goals on his way to lifting the trophy.
No 17 or 18 year olds have been called up for this summer’s tournament, but there are still some very exciting young stars set to jet off to Russia and show what they can do when pitted against and alongside the best players on the planet.
Some of those young players are already championship-winning superstars, while others are relatively unknown right now, but could propel themselves into stardom in just a few weeks’ time when the great event finally kicks off.
10. Albert Guðmundsson (20) - Iceland
Only 25 players aged 20 and under have been called up for their nation's World Cup squads, and that number will decrease as some of the larger preliminary squads have to get narrowed down and certain younger players will pay the price, but Albert Guðmundsson is one player who already has his spot at the finals locked down.
Guðmundsson is a speedy young winger who spent last season playing with PSV's reserve side, scoring 9 goals in 15 games, and earning some time with the senior side too, making 8 appearances in the Dutch first division. He also earned his first caps for Iceland over the last year and actually scored a hat-trick in a friendly game with Singapore.
The level of competition at the World Cup will be much higher than anything Guðmundsson has experienced before, but Iceland proved at Euro 2016 that they weren't afraid of anyone, and if he can take that same mentality into the tournament, he could be an exciting player to watch.