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Despite the ever-increasing physical and tactical demands of the modern game, footballers appear to be getting younger.
Just a few years ago, it was rare for a 17-year-old to be featuring in top-level leagues or international competitions. But now, players are breaking through at school age.
In just the last couple of years, a 15-year-old has debuted in the Premier League, in La Liga and in Serie A. And one of those young talents recently played a starring role in Spain’s European Championship win, appearing in the final at 17 years and a day old – or should that be young?
Here, a look at some of the players who have broken youth records in their careers, including many modern marks and others which have stood the test of time…
32. Rigobert Song
Rigobert Song set an unwanted record in 1994 as he became the youngest player in history to be sent off in a World Cup match, when he saw red against Brazil at just 17 years and 358 days old.
The former Liverpool defender went on to enjoy an impressive career with Cameroon and was part of the teams which won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002. Song also became the first player to be sent off twice in World Cups as he saw red again in a match against Chile in 1998.
31. Reuben Noble-Lazarus
Reuben Noble-Lazarus came through the youth system at Barnsley and in September 2008, became the youngest player to debut in the English Football League.
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The winger made his first appearance at just 15 years and 45 days of age, breaking the previous record of 15 years and 158 days set by Albert Geldard of Bradford Park Avenue in 1929 and equalled by Wrexham’s Ken Roberts in 1951.
30. Daniel Passarella
Daniel Passarella was not that young when he helped Argentina win the World Cup in 1978, but the legendary former centre-back remains the youngest captain to lift the trophy, at 25 years and 31 days old.
Passarella is Argentina’s only two-time World Cup winner, but lost the captaincy to Diego Maradona ahead of Mexico 86 and did not play a single minute in the tournament due to a bout of enterocolitis.
29. Francesco Camarda
Said to have scored an incredible 485 goals in 89 games for AC Milan’s youth side, Francesco Camarda made his debut for the first team amid an injury crisis, appearing as a late substitute in a match against Fiorentina in November 2023.
Aged 15 years and 293 days, the striker became the youngest player in the history of Serie A and Milan had to ask the Italian Football Federation for special permission in order to select him at all.
28. Luka Romero
Luka Romero became the youngest player in La Liga history and the youngest out of all of Europe’s top five leagues when he made his debut for Mallorca against Real Madrid as a substitute in June 2020 at the age of 15 years and 219 days.
Later, the Mexico-born Argentina youth international became Lazio’s youngest-ever player at just over 16 years and nine months old. The attacking midfield went on to join AC Milan and returned to La Liga with a spell on loan at Almeria in the second half of the 2023/24 season.
27. Ethan Nwaneri
Ethan Nwaneri came off the bench for Arsenal in stoppage time against Brentford to become the youngest player in Premier League history at 15 years and 181 days old.
In his brief cameo, the midfielder broke the record previously held by Harvey Elliott and also the all-time mark for the English top flight, which had stood since Sunderland goalkeeper Derek Forster made his debut at the age of 15 years and 185 days in 1964.
26. Rubén Neves
An experienced Portuguese international, Rubén Neves started his career at Porto and went on to spend six seasons with Wolves between 2017 and 2023.
In a Champions League game for Porto against Maccabi Tel Aviv in October 2015, Neves became the youngest captain in the competition’s history at 18 years and 221 days old. Porto won the game 2-0.
25. Lucas Knecht
Born in the United States, Lucas Knecht holds the record for the youngest footballer to play in an official international match.
Knecht, a defender, made his debut with Northern Mariana Islands at the age of 14 and two days in 2007. The Pacific side lost the match 9-0 to Guam.
24. Aung Kyaw Tun
Aung Kyaw Tun made his full debut for Myanmar against Thailand at the age of just 14 years and 93 days, making him the youngest international footballer on record until his mark was broken by Somalia’s Abdinur Mohamud in November 2011.
But the former midfielder remains the youngest international scorer in men’s football, having netted against Thailand at 14 years and 328 days. He never scored for his country again in 13 caps overall.
23. Phil Foden
Phil Foden is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest player ever to win the Premier League.
The Manchester City attacker won his first title with his boyhood club in May 2018 and at the age of 17 years and 350 days, he came on as a substitute against Southampton on the final day of the season to make his fifth appearance of the campaign to earn a medal and set a new record as well. Arsenal’s Gaël Clichy had been the previous youngest at 18 years and 10 months in 2004.
22. Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham became the youngest player to appear at a European Championship when he featured for England against Croatia as a substitute at Euro 2020, at the age of just 17 years and 349 days old.
After appearing at the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024, he then became the youngest to feature in three major tournaments for the Three Lions, at 20 years and 353 days old. Also a Champions League and La Liga winner with Real Madrid at the age of just 20, Bellingham is probably the youngest footballer in history to have his shirt retired too, after first club Birmingham City removed his no. 22 from use as a tribute in 2020. The midfielder made his debut for the Blues at the age of 16 and 38 days and was sold to Borussia Dortmund less than a month after his 17th birthday.
21. Youssoufa Moukoko
In December 2020, Youssoufa Moukoko came off the bench for Borussia Dortmund against Zenit St. Petersburg to become the youngest player in Champions League history at 16 years and 18 days of age.
Moukoko, who came through the youth system at Dortmund and went on to play for Germany, broke a record previously held by former Chelsea and Nigeria defender Celestine Babayaro of 16 years and 87 days. And 10 days later, he also became the Bundesliga’s youngest scorer, at 16 years 28 days, when he netted against Union Berlin.
20. Romelu Lukaku
After making his debut as a substitute in May 2009, Romelu Lukaku went on to become a key player for Anderlecht in the 2009/10 season.
Lukaku scored 19 goals in all, including four in the Europa League as the Belgian side reached the last 16. Two of those came in a 3-1 win over Ajax in December 2009 at the age of 16 years and 218 days, making him the competition’s youngest scorer.
19. Freddy Adu
Freddy Adu was chosen by D.C. United in the 2004 MLS Draft at the age of 14, becoming the youngest American ever to sign a major league professional contract in any team sport.
But Adu did not live up to his huge early potential in a career which took him to Portugal, France, Greece, Turkey, Brazil and Serbia. He won only 17 caps for the United States, scoring twice.
18. James Vaughan
James Vaughan came off the bench to make his Everton debut in April 2005 and scored his side’s fourth goal in a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.
With that goal, Vaughan became the youngest scorer in Premier League history, at 16 years and 270 days old, beating James Milner into second and former Everton favourite Wayne Rooney into third on the list.
17. João Félix
João Félix was considered one of the most talented teenagers in world football when he emerged at Benfica and quickly impressed for the Lisbon club.
In April 2019, Félix became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the Europa League as he netted a treble in a 4-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at the age of 19 years and 152 days old. Still 19, he joined Atlético Madrid that summer for a fee of €126 million (£113m), making him the most expensive teenager in football history and at the time, the fourth most expensive player ever.
16. Arda Güler
Arda Güler was one of the standout stars at Euro 2024 and the Real Madrid youngster quickly made his mark for Turkey in Germany.
Güler scored a stunning goal in Turkey’s opener against Georgia to become the fifth-youngest player to convert in European Championship history and the youngest debut scorer ever in the competition at 19 years and 114 days, breaking a record which had belonged to Cristiano Ronaldo since 2004.
15. Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu came on as a substitute for Ajax against AC Milan in the 1995 Champions League final and became the competition’s youngest winner as Louis van Gaal’s side edged out the Rossoneri thanks to a late Patrick Kluivert goal.
Kanu was 18 years and 296 days old at the time, exactly a month younger than Kluivert. The Nigerian striker started in the 1996 final as Ajax lost to Juventus on penalties.
14. Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé made his Monaco debut at the age of 16 years and 347 days, which made him the youngest first-team player in the club’s history.
Mbappé is the youngest player to score in a Champions League semi-final, having netted for Monaco against Juventus in 2017 at 18 years and 140 days. He is also the youngest player to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or, at 18 years and 293 days. In the 2018 World Cup final, he became only the second teenager to score in the fixture, after Pelé in 1958. And in 2022, he became only the second player in the history of men’s football to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final, after England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966.
13. Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland has been scoring at a ridiculous rate for his entire career, but one performance in particular made the world sit up and take notice.
Haaland hit an incredible nine goals in a 12-0 win for Norway against Honduras at the Under-20 World Cup in 2019. And in the Champions League, he is the youngest player to score 15 goals, then 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40, reaching the latter mark at the age of just 23 years and 130 days.
12. Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney became the world’s most expensive teenager when he moved from Everton to Manchester United in a £27 million deal in the summer of 2004.
And the former England forward made an instant impact at Old Trafford, scoring a superb hat-trick on his debut against Fenerbahce in the Champions League. At the age of 18 years and 339 days, he is still one of the youngest players to score a hat-trick in the competition and remains the youngest to net a treble on his CL debut. Rooney is also the youngest player to start a match (at 17 years and 160 days) and to score for England (17 years and 317 days).
11. Norman Whiteside
Norman Whiteside was just 17 years and 42 days old when he made his first appearance for Northern Ireland, beating a record which had belonged to Pelé since 1958.
Whiteside made his Manchester United debut as a 16-year-old and remains the youngest player to score in a League Cup final (at 17 years and 323 days) and an FA Cup final (at 18 years and 18 days), as well as the youngest to score a senior goal for the Red Devils (at 17 years and eight days).
10. Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi’s goal against Albacete in 2004/05 saw him become the youngest scorer in La Liga history at 17 years and 311 days old.
That mark has since been beaten by a number of players, with Barça’s Bojan Krkic, Gavi, Ansu Fati and Lamine Yamal among them, but Messi remains Argentina’s youngest scorer at a World Cup. Leo was 18 years and 358 days old when he came off the bench to net against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. He is also the youngest player to win multiple Ballons d’Or, having picked up his second at the age of just 23 in 2010.
9. Ronaldo
Ronaldo was part of Brazil’s World Cup-winning squad as a 17-year-old in 1994 and became the second-youngest player ever to win the trophy after compatriot Pelé, although he did not play a single minute at USA 94.
Three years later, Ronaldo became the youngest player to win the Ballon d’Or at 21 years and 96 days old. The brilliant Brazilian went on to claim the award again in 2002.
8. Ansu Fati
Ansu Fati broke through at Barcelona in the 2019/20 season and the young forward became the youngest scorer in Champions League history when he netted against Inter in a 2-1 win in Milan in December 2019.
Fati scored the winner four minutes from time as Barça made it four victories and two draws to top the group. He was just 17 years and 40 days old at the time. He was also Barcelona’s youngest scorer in La Liga, after netting against Osasuna at 16 years and 304 days old, but that record has since been broken by Lamine Yamal.
7. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has made a career out of breaking records and the Portuguese superstar became the youngest debut scorer at a European Championship when he netted in Portugal’s opener against Greece at Euro 2004 at the age of 19 years and 128 days.
That record has since been beaten by Turkey’s Arda Güler, but Ronaldo is Portugal’s youngest and oldest scorer at a World Cup, having netted at the age of 21 in 2006 and at 37 years old in 2022. He is also the highest international scorer of all time.
6. Johnnier Montaño
Johnnier Montaño only scored one goal for Colombia, but the midfielder’s strike against Argentina in 1999 turned out to be hugely significant.
Montaño, who had spells in Italy, Argentina, Turkey and Peru as well as his native Colombia, became the youngest-ever scorer in the history of the Copa America at 16 years and 171 days. Colombia won the match 3-0 in a fixture which is best remembered for Argentina striker Martín Palermo’s three missed penalties.
5. Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Kluivert came on as a substitute for Ajax against AC Milan in the 1995 Champions League final and scored the winner for the Dutch side with five minutes left to play.
At 18 years and 327 days, Kluivert became the youngest player to score in a Champions League final and that mark still stands today. Kluivert went on to join Milan that summer.
4. Pietro Anastasi
Pietro Anastasi made his Italy debut against Yugoslavia in the final of Euro 1968, playing the 90 minutes plus extra time as the two teams drew 1-1 in Milan.
In a replay two days later, Anastasi netted Italy’s second in a 2-0 win at the age of just 20 years and 64 days. To this day, he remains the youngest man to have scored in a European Championship final.
3. Raúl
Raúl González made his Real Madrid debut at the age of just 17 and the Spanish striker would go on to break a series of records with Los Blancos, become the club’s all-time appearance holder (741 games) and top scorer (with 323 goals).
He has since been overtaken on goals by both Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, but his appearance record remains intact. Raúl was also Real Madrid’s youngest-ever captain at the age of 26 and is the youngest player from any club to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, having hit three against Ferencvaros at the age of 18 years and 114 days in October 1995.
2. Pelé
Pelé started playing for Santos at the age of 15 and became Brazil’s youngest-ever debutant and scorer in a 2-1 loss to Argentina in 1957 – at just 16 years, 8 months and 14 days.
The following year, the legendary forward became the World Cup’s youngest-ever scorer (at 17 years and 239 days) as he netted the winner against Wales in the quarter-finals. Days later, he became the youngest to hit a hat-trick at a World Cup as he netted three against France. His goal against Sweden in Brazil’s last match made him the youngest to score in a World Cup final and on top of that, he was also the tournament’s youngest winner (at 17 years and 249 days). All of those records still stand.
1. Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal became the fifth youngest player in La Liga history at 15 years and 285 days and Barcelona’s youngest in over a century when he made his debut for the Catalan club in April 2023. In October that year, his goal against Granada made him the youngest scorer in La Liga history at 16 years and 87 days old. He is also the youngest ever to net in the Copa del Rey, at the age of 16 years and 195 days, and in Spain’s Supercopa.
The winger was called up by Spain in September 2023. He made his international debut and also scored in a win over Georgia, becoming La Roja’s youngest player and scorer at the age of 16 years and 57 days. At Euro 2024, he became the tournament’s youngest-ever player (aged 16 years and 338 days), the youngest scorer (at 16 years and 361 days) and also the Euros’ youngest winner (at 17 years and one day).
