It's the same in Spanish, I'm surprised how universal this concept has become, even with people that have never understood what needles have to do with haystack

It's the same in Spanish, I'm surprised how universal this concept has become, even with people that have never understood what needles have to do with haystacks. "Como buscar/hallar una aguja en un pajar" (like looking for/finding a needle in a haystack) means taking/achieving a nearly impossible task.