Introduced in 2006, the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award recognizes the best player of the tournament, who is no more than 21 years old. Individuals born on or after 1st January of the qualifying year are the only eligible players.
FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) selects the winner. They consider potential, individual performances, and overall impact on their teams when choosing the best young player among the nominees.
Here are all the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award winners since 2006:
All FIFA World Cup Young Player Award winners (2006-2026)
| Championship Year | FIFA Young Player Award Winners | Age |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 |  Lukas Podolski | 21 |
| 2010 | Thomas Müller | 20 |
| 2014 |  Paul Pogba | 21 |
| 2018 | Kylian Mbappé | 19 |
| 2022 |  Enzo Fernández | 21 |
| 2026 |  Pau Cubarsí | 19 |
2006: Lukas Podolski
At 21, Lukas Josef Podolski made his World Cup debut. He scored three goals for Germany in seven matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. His two goals against Sweden came within the first 12 minutes of the game, making him the third player in World Cup history, and the first since 1962, to score twice that early in a knockout match. Podolski won the inaugural FIFA World Cup Young Player Award over other prominent nominees, including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Legacy: First official recipient of the trophy
- Playing position: Forward
- Team’s final finish: Third
2010: Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller was 20 at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played six matches in the tournament, scoring five goals and recording three assists. Müller was awarded the 2010 FIFA Young Player Award. In the quarter-finals against Argentina, he scored within the first 3 minutes, helping Germany win by a huge margin of 4 goals and qualify for the semi-finals.
- Legacy: First player to win the FIFA Golden Boot and FIFA Young Player Award in his debut
- Playing position: Attacking midfielder
- Team’s final finish: Third
2014: Paul Pogba
The 2014 FIFA Young Player Award winner was then-21-year-old Paul Labile Pogba. At his first FIFA World Cup tournament, he scored a goal and provided an assist in five matches. He helped France reach the quarter-finals by scoring the opening goal against Nigeria in the Round of 16, for which he was named Player of the Match.
- Legacy: Only player to win both awards consecutively (2013 FIFA U-20 Golden Ball and 2014 FIFA Best Young Player award)
- Playing position: Midfielder
- Team’s final finish: Seventh (eliminated in the quarter-finals)
2018: Kylian Mbappé
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, France’s national team featured a young player, Kylian Mbappé Lottin. This explosive then-19-year-old scored four goals in seven matches. For his skillful performance at his first FIFA World Cup, he was named the 2018 FIFA Best Young Player. Mbappé scored his first-ever World Cup goal against Peru in the group stage, becoming the youngest French footballer in FIFA history to do so.
- Legacy: Only teenager to score a goal in the World Cup final after Pelé
- Playing position: Right-winger or forward
- Team’s final finish: Winner
2022: Enzo Fernández
Argentine footballer Enzo Jeremías Fernández first appeared at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He was 21 at that time and played a total of seven matches. Fernández scored his first World Cup goal against Mexico in the Group Stage. With an 88% accuracy rate in terms of passing skills, Enzo won the FIFA Young Player Award in 2022.
- Legacy: Second-youngest Argentine player ever to score a goal in the World Cup
- Playing position: Midfielder
- Team’s final finish: Winner
2026: Pau Cubarsí
Pau Cubarsí Paredes debuted in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the age of 19. In the last minutes of extra time, the Spanish center-back intercepted the ball meant for Argentina’s Marcos Senesi by his teammate Giuliano Simeone and ensured the one-goal lead. He made the second-most passes in the tournament with an accuracy rate of 97% (688 out of 690 attempted passes). His performance in all eight matches earned him the FIFA Young Player Award in 2026.
- Legacy: First defender to win the award
- Playing position: Center-back
- Team’s final finish: Winner
Retroactive Winners (1958-2002)
In addition to the official recipients of the Young Player Award, FIFA released a list of retroactive winners from 1958 to 2002. These winners were decided through an internet survey launched in 2006 by FIFA itself to celebrate this new award category.
| Championship Year | FIFA Young Player Award Winners | Age |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 |  Pelé | 17 |
| 1962 |  Flórián Albert | 20 |
| 1966 | Franz Beckenbauer | 20 |
| 1970 |  Teófilo Cubillas | 21 |
| 1974 |  Władysław Żmuda | 20 |
| 1978 |  Antonio Cabrini | 20 |
| 1982 | Manuel Amoros | 21 |
| 1986 |  Enzo Scifo | 20 |
| 1990 |  Robert Prosinečki | 21 |
| 1994 |  Marc Overmars | 20 |
| 1998 |  Michael Owen | 18 |
| 2002 |  Landon Donovan | 20 |
Key Considerations
- Pelé (17) is the youngest recognized winner (retroactively) of the FIFA World Cup Young Player Award, receiving 61% of the public vote.
- Kylian Mbappé (2018), Enzo Fernández (2022), and Pau Cubarsí (2026) also won the World Cup title in those respective years.
- Both France and Germany are tied for the FIFA Young Player Award with three wins, including retroactive winners.
