In the world of football, the threshold for what constitutes as ‘young’ seems to be constantly evolving. As the sport progresses, the age at which players are making their senior debuts is getting significantly younger.
Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha is the latest teenage star to burst onto the scene, and his dramatic late winner for the Reds on debut will go down in history.
But where does he rank for youngest ever scorers? Fortunately, when it comes to ranking the top 10 youngest Premier League goalscorers, there’s no ambiguity – the facts and figures are all at our disposal. So, without further ado, here are the 10 youngest scorers in Premier League history.
Rank
Player
Age
Date & Opponent
1
James Vaughan (Everton)
16 yrs, 270 days
Apr 2005 v Crystal Palace
2
James Milner (Leeds)
16 yrs, 356 days
Dec 2002 v Sunderland
3
Wayne Rooney (Everton)
16 yrs, 360 days
Oct 2002 v Arsenal
4
Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool)
16 yrs, 361 days
Aug 2025 v Newcastle
5
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
17 yrs, 113 days
Aug 2004 v Blackburn
6
Michael Owen (Liverpool)
17 yrs, 143 days
May 1997 v Wimbledon
7
Andy Turner (Tottenham)
17 yrs, 166 days
Sep 1992 v Everton
8
Federico Macheda (Man Utd)
17 yrs, 226 days
Apr 2009 v Aston Villa
9
Lewis Miley (Newcastle)
17 yrs, 229 days
Dec 2023 v Fulham
10
Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
17 yrs, 247 days
Nov 2024 v Nottingham Forest
10 best Premier League free-kicks of all time (Ranked)
David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo have scored two of the best free-kicks in recent history, but who has scored the greatest in the PL era?
ByLewis ThompsonJun 15, 2024 10 Ethan Nwaneri 17 years, 247 days v Nottingham Forest (2024)
Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri announced himself on the Premier League stage when grabbing his first goal in the competition four months shy of his 18th birthday.
Incredibly, Nwaneri had made his debut over two years prior to this, coming on as a late substitute during a Gunners win at Brentford in September 2022.
Now a part of the first team at the Emirates Stadium, Nwaneri has already shown a knack for goalscoring, with cutting inside onto his left turning into something of a trademark already.
Nwaneri’s first-time finish against Nottingham Forest was his fourth of the 2024/25 season for Arsenal, with three coming in the EFL Cup before breaking his Premier League duck.
9 Lewis Miley 17 years, 229 days v Fulham (2023)
Lewis Miley quickly emerged as a fan favourite on Tyneside after signing his first professional contract for Newcastle United in February 2023.
The technical midfielder became Newcastle’s youngest Premier League debutant when he appeared as a substitute in his side’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on the 2022/23 season’s final day.
Over the course of the following campaign, Miley would go on to play 26 times for the Magpies, including two away games in the Champions League against PSG and Borussia Dortmund, plus a home tie versus AC Milan.
His first professional goal came in December 2023 in a 3-0 win over Fulham at St James’ Park. That knee slide in front of the Gallowgate End must have felt pretty sweet!
8 Federico Macheda 17 years, 226 days v Aston Villa (2009)
Once hailed as being Manchester United’s future star at Old Trafford, Federico Macheda burst onto the scene with a goal on his debut against Aston Villa in April 2009.
He was just three days younger than Miley when his two-touch strike made it 3-2 for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side after Cristiano Ronaldo had already bagged a brace.
Macheda’s goal essentially sealed the Premier League title for Man United on that day and he would go on to score the winner against Sunderland a week later. However, the Italian striker would only score five more goals for United.
Queens Park Rangers, Doncaster Rovers and Birmingham City were among a host of clubs who would welcome Macheda on loan from United, until his permanent transfer to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Cardiff City in 2014.
Since then, Macheda has played most of his football in Greece for Panathinaikos, scoring 36 goals in 106 appearances.
7 Andy Turner 17 years, 166 days v Everton (1992)
From one slightly unknown to an even lesser-known one:
Andy Turner became the youngest player to score a goal in the Premier League during its inaugural season in September 1992. The overall record, which has only been surpassed four times, stood for five years until a more recognisable 17-year-old named Michael Owen broke it.
The London-born Irishman’s goal came late in a 2-1 home win for Tottenham Hotspur against Everton. Throughout his 16-year career, Turner played for over 15 clubs. The attacking midfielder had loan spells at Wycombe Wanderers, Huddersfield Town and Southend United, along with stints at Crystal Palace and Wolves.
In a 2018 interview with Spurs, Turner mentioned that he runs a non-league academy in the Midlands. He also leads an educational academy under the Pro Direct Academy banner in Birmingham and was once the Under-13 academy coach at Port Vale.
6 Michael Owen 17 years, 143 days v Wimbledon (1997)
Like Turner, Michael Owen was once the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer for a period of five years.
Owen rose through Liverpool’s academy and the FA’s School of Excellence, where he broke numerous England youth goalscoring records. He played a key role in Liverpool winning their first FA Youth Cup in 1996 before joining the first team under Roy Evans and then Gerard Houllier.
In the penultimate game of the 1996/97 season, Owen scored on his debut as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Wimbledon, cementing his name in top-flight history.
The following season, the English forward was named PFA Young Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season. Owen also became the first Liverpool player and only the fourth Englishman to win the Ballon d’Or in 2001. He scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for Liverpool before moving to Real Madrid in 2004.
Injuries plagued Owen’s career, limiting him to one season at Real Madrid, where he scored 13 goals in 36 appearances. He later played for Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City before retiring in 2013.
5 Cesc Fabregas 17 years, 113 days v Blackburn (2004)
One of the greatest, most technical midfielders to ever grace the Premier League is also one of its youngest-ever goalscorers.
Cesc Fabregas moved from Barcelona to Arsenal in September 2003 for just shy of £3 million. He made over 200 appearances for the north London club before returning to his beloved Barcelona.
Shortly after becoming Arsenal’s youngest-ever first-team player at the age of 16, Fabregas scored his first Premier League goal in a 3-0 win over Blackburn in August 2004, poking home from a Gilberto Silva header in a game that saw Arsenal go a record 43rd top-flight match unbeaten.
The Spaniard had further success at Chelsea and Monaco before retiring at Como, the side he now manages in Italy’s Serie A.
4 Rio Ngumoha 16 yrs, 361 days v Newcastle (2025)
After signing for Liverpool from Chelsea’s academy in the summer of 2024, Rio Ngumoha quickly impressed those on Merseyside, beocming the second-youngest appearance-maker in the Reds’ history at the beginning of 2025.
He had to wait for his Premier League debut, though, but when it came against Newcastle United, Ngumoha made an instant impact. Sent on in injury time by Arne Slot after Liverpool surrendered a two-goal lead with a player advantage, the teenager calmy slotted home the winner ahead of his 17th birthday.
3 Wayne Rooney 16 years, 360 days v Arsenal (2002)
A name that needs no real explanation to emphasise his prolific goalscoring rate as a youngster.
Wayne Rooney captured headlines worldwide when his 25-yard stunner for Everton in October 2002 ended Arsenal’s 30-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. At just 16 years old, Rooney’s iconic goal marked the beginning of arguably the greatest-ever Premier League legacy.
Rooney moved to Manchester United after just two seasons with the Toffees. He scored over 200 Premier League goals during his illustrious career before transitioning to management. He is the current manager of Plymouth Argyle in the Championship.
2 James Milner 16 years, 356 days v Sunderland (2002)
James Milner was just four days younger than Rooney when he scored his first Premier League goal against Sunderland in December 2002.
As a childhood fan of Leeds United, Milner began his career as a teenager there, making 48 appearances over two seasons.
Known as one of the most versatile footballers in Premier League history, Milner has excelled for multiple clubs, including Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton.
Ahead of the 2024/25 season, Milner only needs 20 more top-flight appearances to equal Gareth Barry’s record of 653. He has played in 22 seasons, 46 different stadiums and had 280 teammates during his Premier League career.
He has also won every English domestic trophy, as well as the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup with Liverpool.
1 James Vaughan 16 years, 270 days v Crystal Palace (2005)
James Vaughan is the Premier League’s youngest-ever goalscorer, but couldn’t quite follow in the footsteps of those who had gone before him.
Vaughan made history on his debut when he scored Everton’s fourth goal in a 4-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace at Goodison Park in April 2005. The result moved Everton four points clear of Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification.
Everton reached the third qualifying round of the Champions League the following season but lost out to Villarreal. Ironically, Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League triumph meant they made it to the group stages for the following season’s competition via the qualifiers, where they reached the round of 16 before losing out to Benfica.
As for Vaughan, his record-breaking goal at the age of 16 was a highlight in a career that promised much but was hampered by injuries. He made just six appearances for Norwich City before joining Huddersfield in 2013. Vaughan also represented Sunderland, Wigan, Bradford and Tranmere before transitioning into a role off the pitch.
In March 2024, Vaughan was made the head of academy recruitment and player pathways at Everton. It seems likely that his record won’t stand forever in this day and age, but for now, it remains a remarkable achievement.
