Written by Bradley Gibbs.
The second weekend of fixtures during the 2025/26 Premier League season was one for the youngsters. On Saturday evening, Arsenal gave a league debut to 15-year-old Max Dowman, who impressed from the bench, not only running at defenders with purpose out wide, but winning a penalty. It would’ve been some story had the schoolboy stepped up to take the spot kick but summer signing Viktor Gyökeres had other ideas.
After Dowman’s cameo on Saturday, up stepped 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who had already impressed with a couple of fine pre-season performances, for Liverpool. With minutes remaining, and with ten-man Newcastle pushing for the win following an 88th minute equaliser, Arne Slot deployed the youngster in the 96th minute.
With his very first touch of the ball, Ngumoha attempted to be positive, looking to drive forward, but it was his confident one-touch finish that will live long in the memory. As the clocked ticked over into the 100th minute, a share of the spoils seemed certain, but Rio Ngumoha had other ideas, applying a crisp and confident finish after Salah’s pull back was cleverly stepped over by Dominik Szoboszlai, leaving the ball to arrive perfectly at the feet of the teenager, who had ghosted into the box unmarked.
By scoring late in the day at St. James’ Park, Ngumoha became Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer at the age of 16 years and 361 days, but where does he rank among the Premier League’s youngest ever scorers? Find out below.
Youngest ever Premier League scorers
Here are the five youngest ever players to grab a goal since the beginning of the Premier League era:
James Vaughan (16 years and 270 days)
When Everton’s James Vaughan found the back of the net against Crystal Palace back in 2005, he wrote his name into the history books, becoming the youngest ever Premier League scorer, a record that still stands to this day.
Vaughan went on to score a total of seven goals for the Toffees, before leaving the club in 2011. In the decade that followed, the forward hit double figures for goals at Huddersfield, Bury, Bradford City and Tranmere Rovers.
James Milner (16 years and 356 days)
A player with untold stamina reserves, James Milner enjoyed a glittering Premier League career, acting as the engine room for a number of high-profile clubs, including Leeds, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Man City, Liverpool and Brighton, and although he wasn’t primarily known for his goalscoring abilities, the midfielder became the second youngest scorer in the history of the Premier League football when he notched against Sunderland back in late 2002.
Wayne Rooney (16 years and 360 days)
Wayne Rooney enjoyed many notable moments over the course of what was an outstanding career, during which he won the absolute lot at club level, but one of his most notable achievements came right at the start, when he thundered home from outside the box against Arsenal as a mere 16-year-old.
Rio Ngumoha (16 years and 361 days)
By scoring that late winner at Newcastle, Rio Ngumoha positioned himself as the fourth youngest scorer in Premier League history. Not bad at all. Interestingly, Ngumoha’s goal means that three of the four youngest ever players to score in the Premier League did so for a Merseyside club.
The player signed from Chelsea also became just the fourth ever player to score in the Premier League before reaching the age of 17.
Cesc Fabregas (17 years 113 days)
Best known for his time at Arsenal, where he served as not only a key player but club captain, Cesc Fabregas, who also won the FIFA World Cup with Spain, as well as many other accolades as a player of both Barcelona and Chelsea, ranks as the fifth youngest Premier League scorer, netting as a 17-year-old against Blackburn during the 2004/2005 season.
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