Competitors will indeed do anything to get their entries on the scoreboard during the FIFA World Cup 2022. With three goals, Enner Valencia leads all other contenders for the Golden Boot, but Bukayo Saka, Ferran Torres, and Lionel Messi are closely behind with two apiece.
Richarlison’s acrobatic kick against Serbia and Messi’s long-range power shot against Mexico are just two of the tournament’s amazing goals so far. The amount of excitement will inevitably alter once an early goal is accomplished. The game becomes more competitive and the underperforming team plays harder as a result.
The tournament’s fastest goal thus far was scored by Alphonso Davies against Croatia in the opening 68 seconds of play. Even so, it wouldn’t be quick enough to be listed among the top ten fastest World Cup goals ever. There are more goals on the list of the fastest goals ever scored at a World Cup.
Here is the list of the top 10 fastest goals scored in FIFA World Cup history:
10. Adalbert Desu of Romania: 50 sec
Desu also scored the opening goal for Romania at a FIFA World Cup. In the opening minute of his team’s first group match of the inaugural football world cup, he scored a goal. The match was held in Uruguay in 1930 alongside its predecessor, against Peru. In this game, Romania defeated Peru 3-1, however, neither team moved past the group stage.
9. Florian Albert of Hungary: 50 sec
Albert, a club legend at Ferencvárosi TC, joined the team as a young player and played his entire playing career there. He was a standout for Hungary as well, earning 75 international caps and scoring 31 goals. With four goals, he shared the World Cup scoring lead in 1962 and was instrumental in Hungary’s third-place performance at the 1964 European Championship.
This goal against Bulgaria happened during the 1962 World Cup in Uruguay. Hungary trounced Bulgaria by six goals in this game. Czechoslovakia defeated Hungary in the quarterfinals to end Hungary’s tournament run.
8. Bernard Lacombe of France: 37 seconds
In 1973, Lacombe received his debut for France. He later represented his country at the 1978 World Cup, scoring the first goal of the competition and the fastest goal ever for a French player against Italy in just 37 seconds.
Lacombe won the UEFA Euro in 1984 and participated in the 1982 World Cup as well. He is the second-best striker in the history of the French championship, behind Delio Onnis, with 255 goals scored in Ligue 1.
7. Arne Nyberg of Sweden: 35 seconds
During the 1938 World Cup, two of the fastest goals ever were scored simultaneously. The Swedish national team player scored this goal against Hungary in the semifinal contest. In the final, Hungary defeated Sweden by scoring five goals and allowing just one.
6. Emile Veinante of France: 35 seconds
Emile Veinante was a striker who played for FC Metz and RC Paris at the club level and scored 14 goals in 24 games for France. Veinante participated in 24 international games for France’s national team between February 1929 and January 1940, scoring 14 goals.
He participated in the World Cups of 1930 and 1938, as well as 1934 as a reserve. He scored in the first minute of play in 1938 against Belgium. France won the match 3-1 at home.
5. Clint Dempsey of USA: 30 seconds
The most recent goal on the list was scored during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil against Ghana. After slipping past a defender, Dempsey’s goal gave the USA the lead in a Group G match. Dempsey broke a record as the USA won the match 2-1.
With more than 140 caps under his belt and 57 goals for his country, he is tied with Landon Donovan for the most goals scored in international play history. Dempsey was admitted to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2022.
4. Bryan Robson of England: 27 seconds
Robson earned 90 appearances for England between 1980 and 1991, making him at the time the 5th-most recognized player. He ranked 9th on the board at that moment with 26 goals scored.
Only Bobby Moore and Billy Wright have captained England more frequently than Robson, who led his nation 65 times. Just three seconds later, during the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, he scored a goal against France. Bryan Robson scored twice as England prevailed 3-1.
3. Ernst Lehner of Germany: 24 seconds
In both the 1934 and 1938 FIFA World Cups, Ernst Lehner competed for the German national football team. He played 65 times for the national team in total, scoring 31 goals. Lehner was a part of the Breslau Eleven, which won 10 of its 11 games that year after defeating Denmark 8-0 at Breslau. He was standing in the outer right position.
The goal was scored by Lehner in the match between Italy and Austria in the 1934 FIFA World Cup. In the playoff match for third place, the goal was scored. In the end, Germany won the game and took third place in the championship.
2. Vaclav Masek of Czech Republic: 16 seconds
Vaclav Masek participated in 16 games and scored 5 goals for the Czechoslovakia national football team. He participated in 313 league games for Sparta Prague in Czechoslovakia and scored 127 goals in those games. He took part in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, where his nation finished second after falling to Brazil in the championship match.
He made headlines when, in a match against Mexico, he scored a goal after only 16 seconds of play, setting a record that stood for 40 years till being surpassed by Turkey’s Hakan Sukur in the tournament’s third-place match in 2002.
1. Hakan Sukur of Turkey: 11 seconds
Sukur played 112 times for Turkey, scoring 51 goals, making him the leading scorer in Turkey and the 19th-best player in the world at the time of his retirement. He scored 383 goals in his professional career and set the record for the fastest World Cup goal in 2002, making him one of the most productive attackers of the contemporary age.
He scored this amazing goal just 11 seconds into the match. The goal was scored in a World Cup 2002 playoff game against South Korea for third place. He resigned from football in 2008, having played for his primary squad for 13 seasons, scoring just once in the single digits; he was known for his heading abilities.
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