Published on 6/18/2026
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Last update: 10:46 (Mecca time)
The Cape Verdean goalkeeper (40 years old) became a star in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while a Senegalese teenager scored a goal in his first appearance in the World Cup.
During the following lines, we shed light on some of the oldest and youngest players as the tournament, which is being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the participation of 48 teams for the first time, enters its second week.
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Big stars
There is no better place to start than with Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo (41 years old), as the veteran star is disappointed that he was unable to score in his country’s 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Wednesday evening, local time.
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced that Ronaldo has become the oldest field player to participate in a World Cup match.
Croatian Luka Modric (40 years old) led his country to the 2018 World Cup final in Russia, but he got off to a faltering start against England on Wednesday evening, when a violation he committed led to a penalty kick scored by Harry Kane.
The experienced midfielder was substituted before the hour mark in a match that the Croatian national team lost 4-2 to its English counterpart.
There are many 40-year-old goalkeepers on the rosters of the teams participating in the World Cup, and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer may be the most famous among them, but Cape Verde goalkeeper Fusenha joined the list of illustrious names.
This unknown goalkeeper played a pivotal role in a historic draw for the Cape Verdean national team, which is participating for the first time in the World Cup, with the Spanish national team (the European champion) without goals, and his mother hopes to attend the team’s next match on Sunday evening, local time, against Uruguay in Miami, within the eighth group competitions.
The Argentine magician Lionel Messi, who will turn 39 next week, has remarkable vitality, and he excelled in his country’s opening match by scoring three goals (a hat-trick) against Algeria.
Rising stars
The young Mexican national team player, Gilberto Moura, received warm encouragement from his fans when he entered as a substitute in the second half of the match that witnessed the home team’s 2-0 victory over South Africa in the opening match of the World Cup.
The 17-year-old rookie midfielder, who is the youngest player on the rosters of the teams participating in the 2026 World Cup, plays for Tijuana Club in the Mexican Premier League, and is followed by many major European clubs.
Without a doubt, the spotlight will be on Moura during Mexico’s upcoming World Cup match against South Korea, on Thursday evening local time in Guadalajara.
For his part, Senegal striker Ibrahim Mbaye made an immediate impact in his first World Cup appearance.
Mbaye, who was born in France and is 18 years old, participated in the 75th minute of his team’s match, the Senegal national team, against France in Group Nine, and scored a goal in stoppage time of the match that the (Tiranga Lions) team lost 1-3 to Kylian Mbappe and his teammates.
The Senegal national team will meet its Norwegian counterpart next Monday evening, local time, where it must win to maintain its hopes of qualifying for the knockout rounds.
Ayoub Bouadi (18 years old) also appeared in the Moroccan midfield during their 1-1 draw with Brazil in Group C, where the promising star played for the French youth team, but he moved to Morocco immediately before the start of the World Cup.
The young Egyptian striker, Hamza Abdel Karim (18 years old), participated as a substitute in the “Pharaohs” team’s 1-1 draw with the Belgium team in the seventh group, where he came on for Mohamed Salah, the team’s captain, in the 76th minute.
For his part, Spanish star Lamine Jamal, the most prominent young talent in the tournament, who will turn 19 next month, recently returned to the field after recovering from a hamstring injury, as he participated as a substitute in Spain’s match against Cape Verde, which ended in a scoreless draw.
