It is already known that since the day before yesterday, when Portugal played against South Korea, António Silva became the youngest Portuguese player to play in a World Cup, at 19 years and 33 days, surpassing Futre. The left-footed was 20 years and 96 days old when, in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, he played against England, coming on in the 73rd minute to replace the great and unforgettable Fernando Gomes.
António Silva also surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo as the youngest ever starter for the national team in World Cup finals matches. In 2006, at the World Cup in Germany, Ronaldo made his debut against Angola, aged 21 years and 126 days. That is, for those who love records, even if there are many people who don’t like them, António Silva beat, in one sitting, the votes of Paulo Futre and Cristiano Ronaldo.
We see Portugal’s youngest in every World Cup finals: 1966 – António Simões (22 years and 239 days); 1986 – Paulo Futre (20 years and 96 days); 2002 – Nuno Frechaut (24 years and 256 days); 2006 – Cristiano Ronaldo (21 years and 126 days); 2010 – Fábio Coentrao (22 years and 94 days); 2014 – William Carvalho (22 years and 75 days); 2018 – Gonçalo Guedes (21 years and 196 days); 2022 – António Silva (19 years and 33 days).
