SukritiEvery FIFA fan agrees with Michael James Owen when he said, There’s nothing quite like a World Cup. Before FIFA’18 inauguration every fan had eyes on the selection of the players. Even the players look forward to playing for their nation’s pride in the World Cup team. However, the results were most eagerly awaited by the young contenders.
The first World Cup any player participates in gives important lessons and memories that last forever. Therefore, today we’ll be introducing you with the youngest players selected for FIFA 2018 Russia.
#10 The Oldest Among The Youngsters
Born in 1998, Lee Seung-woo, the South Korean left striker turned 20 early this year on January 6th. Don’t let his face fool you as he is a professional footballer from the age of 12 when he started playing for Incheon United in 2010. A year later, Seung joined Barcelona and played with them until last year. If we talk about his international career, he did something interesting in his first match which caught huge publicity.
Did You Know?- In 2000, Lee Todd became the footballer, to receive “The Fastest Red Card”. As soon as the starting whistle was blown, within 4 seconds he was shown a red card for yelling “f*ck me that was loud”.
First Match; Big Match
Either the guy got a beginner’s luck or he worked hard for this day. Whatever may be the reason, Lee’s talent was clearly visible in the first international match he played in 2014 AFC U-16 Championship Qualification, for the South Korean U-16 team. The guy scored 3 goals within half hour approx. He didn’t stop there and made the fourth goal soon in the match.
Did You Know?- In 1954, “The Highest Scoring Game” was played between Austria and Switzerland with highest scores of 7:5.
Korean Messi
There’s a solid reason why his fans called him “Korean Messi”. Lee was 13 years old when he broke Lionel Messi’s record and became the first person to make 39 goals within 29 games in U-13. He became the top scorer in the Danone Nations Cup 2010, and that’s when FC Barcelona got interested in taking him in their team.
Did You Know?- In 1998, a bizarre incident happened when the lightning bolt struck on a pitch in Congo, an African state. All 11 members of one team died while the other team was left unhurt.
Awards And Amounts
In 2017, Lee was awarded the ‘Asian Young Footballer of the Year’. Not only awards, Lee has acquired a fair amount of money over the years with an approximate current market value of €900,000. Moving ahead with such enthusiasms he’s sure to get much more in his pockets. Lee has managed to keep his personal life secret with no rumors of any relationship. His image is of a player completely focused and dedicated to his game. South Korea lost its first FIFA match to Sweden with 1:0. You’ll be seeing Lee this Saturday playing against Mexico.
Did You Know?- Over the past 120 years, the size of a professional football has been exactly the same, ie, 28 inches in circumference.
#9 Sarr From Senegal
Ismaïla Sarr is another player with 1998 as his birth year. On February 25th, he completed 20 years and has been in the game since he was 11 years old when he started playing for ‘Génération Foot’, a Senegalese football club and continued playing for them around 7 years. Starting from 2016, he played for Metz for around a year and currently plays for Rennes. He made a big decision that might come to you as a shock!
Did You Know?- In 1994, Barbados deliberately scored a goal on their side that at last helped them in winning the match against Grenada with 4:2 score.
Rennes Over Barcelona!
“I could have gone to Spain and join the great Barcelona, but leaving Metz to join them was too early. I saw Rennes as a club that will help me progress and reach great heights,” revealed Sarr that he could have joined Barcelona. He explained it was quite soon for him to play with the big giant players. He further added, “I still have to progress defensively, offensively with more flair, and be more decisive in my approach towards goal.” Apart from his decision, his performance in internationals is admirable.
Did You Know?- In 1942, Stephan Stanis, a French player scored 16 goals in one match, ie, “The Maximum Numbers Of Goals”.