U20 WC: Nigeria to field the youngest squad

The stage is set for the twentieth edition of the Fifa U20 World Cup with all the participating teams submitting their final list for the championship.

With an average age of just 18.9 years, Nigeria are, for the first time ever, taking the youngest panel of players to the championship in which they have twice contested the final.

Owing to their exploits at the African Youth Championship, where they emerged as champions, coach Manu Garba has kept faith in majority of the players who won the World U17 championship in UAE – with Kelechi Iheanacho, Musa Muhammed and goal machine Taiwo Awoniyi leading the pack.

Enyimba’s Kingsley Sokari is their oldest player at 20 years and one day, while Zaharaddeen Bello is Nigeria’s youngest representative, at 17 years five months.

Germany, on the other hand, have the oldest squad, with an average age of 19.9 years, just ahead of Portugal, Ukraine and Korea DPR.

Bayern Leverkusen’s 19-year old forward Julian Brandt is the European’s youngest player in a group containing a total of 19 players who are 20 or over.

Senegal’s Moussa Wague, 16 years seven months, is the youngest of all 504 players at the competition. Having been born in October 1998, he is just a month older than Ghana’s Kingsley Fobi. At the other end of the scale, Argentina’s 20 years five months forward Alejandro Romero is the oldest player in the competition.