Michael Owen (England) v Argentina, 1998 World Cup finals, second round Owen, 18, ripped through the Argentina defence and finished in devastating style for his third international goal. He had made his Liverpool debut only the year before. Glenn Hoddle, the England head coach in France, had not been convinced about Owen’s merits before the tournament; now he, and the rest of the world, were in no doubt.

Wayne Rooney (England) v Switzerland, 2004 European Championship finals, group stageRooney grabbed the Continent’s attention as a raw and fearless 18-year-old with a brace against Switzerland that made him the youngest goalscorer in the tournament’s history. Two more followed in England’s next match, against Croatia. His importance to the team was revealed when they fell flat after he was injured in the quarter-final against Portugal.

Lionel Messi (Argentina) v Serbia & Montenegro, 2006 World Cup finals, group stage Billed as the “new Maradona”, Messi was sent off after only 40 seconds of his Argentina debut. A year on, aged nearly 19, he fared much better in Germany in 2006, becoming his country’s youngest player at a World Cup and creating and scoring a goal against Serbia to be the sixth-youngest scorer in tournament history.

Pelé (Brazil) v Sweden, 1958 World Cup, finalThe 17-year-old had scored the winner against Wales in the last eight – his first World Cup goal, which he later called the most important of his career – and followed it up with a 20-minute hat-trick against France in the semi-finals. But it was his goals in the final, seen all over the world on television, that helped to launch Pelé into superstardom. He controlled the ball with his chest, knocked it over his head, turned and volleyed into the net for the first, adding a header late on.

Expert View

I will retain the hope that Walcott will become a wonderful player, who will ignite England at the World Cup in South Africa

Simon Barnes

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BACKGROUND

• Walcott does the trick for England

• Walcott ready for life in spotlight

• Capello rewarded for throwing caution to wind

• How the England players rated in Zagreb

Ronaldinho (Brazil) v Saudi Arabia, 1999 Confederations Cup, semi-finalThe forward exploded into prominence in this tournament as a 19-year-old, scoring in every match except the final, which he missed because of injury. He scored a hat-trick in an 8-2 thrashing of Saudi Arabia, adding to a reputation that was swelling after his performances in the Copa America that year. Words by Tom Dart