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Who Are the Youngest Players To Ever Score a Goal in the Premier League?
For Premier League legends both old and new, scoring their first goal in the league is a memory they'll never forget.
For a young, emerging footballer, as tantalizing as the thought of playing in the English Premier League is, the prospect of scoring in England’s top flight holds even greater significance. But while many hope that one day they'll rip a game-winning curler from outside the box or carve up a backline before netting the go-ahead goal, few ever get the opportunity to shine so brightly.
It’s just flat-out difficult to bend it like Beckham or head it past the keeper like Peter Crouch. That’s why, when a true footy phenom ascends into the ranks of the greatest football league in the world, that first goal is so much more than just a moment in time — it represents a dream come true. Here’s a look at the youngest athletes to ever score in the Premier League.
Lewis Miley – Newcastle United
Age: 17 Years, 229 Days
Lewis Miley became the latest youngster to score after slotting one in past an outstretched Bernd Leno in the Magpies 3-0 drubbing of Fulham on Saturday. Not only did Eddie Howe’s side mount an impressive victory, Miley earned his first senior goal in the Premier League in front of a jubilant home crowd at St James' Park.
Federico Macheda – Manchester United
Age: 17 Years, 226 Days
Though Federico Macheda only netted four goals during his tenure with Manchester United, his inaugural strike while playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in April 2009 was nothing short of a masterpiece. The tenuous match was even at two apiece when the Italian youngster corralled a pass into the box with a deft heal flick before turning and hitting a curler home far post to lift Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils to a 3-2 win over Aston Villa. Age aside, it’s just a beauty of a goal.
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Andy Turner – Tottenham Hotspur
Age: 17 Years, 166 Days
In what was the Premier League’s debut season after being officially launched in February 1992, Andy Turner announced his arrival into England’s top flight in sensational style. In stoppage time, off a Spurs throw-in that ping-ponged up and through the box, Turner wasted no time, ripping a laser that ricocheted off an Everton player and into the net for the game-winner against the Toffees. A long battle with injuries prohibited Turner from developing into a superstar, but the journeyman still owns the record for being the youngest Tottenham player to ever score an EPL goal.
Michael Owen – Liverpool
Age: 17 Years, 143 Days
In a long, storied career that’s peppered with every accolade a player could want — including his Ballon d’Or in 2001 and Pelé naming him to the “FIFA 100,” a list of the world’s greatest living players — perhaps none is more memorable for the legendary “MO” than that which manifested at the dawn of his Liverpool career. Despite the team falling 2-1 to Wimbledon, Owen dashed through the defense on his way to notching his first career league goal.
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Cesc Fabregas – Arsenal
Age: 17 Years, 113 Days
Believed by many to be one of the most elite midfielders of all time in the Premier League — his 16 career trophies, including two league titles, back that up — Cesc Fabregas tormented the opposition first during his eight-year stint with the Gunners, followed by doing the same with Chelsea. While he had already scored for Arsenal outside of league play, the Spaniard helped lift the Gunners to a robust 3-0 victory against the Blackburn Rovers in 2004.
Wayne Rooney – Everton
Age: 16 Years, 360 Days
Arguably the most well-known English player not married to a Spice Girl, Wayne Rooney is a bona fide legend for Man United and all of England for that matter, though his hero status was born during his time with Everton. After showcasing brilliant skill to control the pass, Rooney belted a sublime strike off the crossbar and into the net to officially end the Gunners 30-game unbeaten streak in 2002.
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James Milner – Leeds
Age: 16 Years, 356 Days
While still going strong after 21 years in the Premier League, before playing for his current club of Brighton & Hove Albion, James Milner played for several other squads, including Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle. But it was during his debut year with Leeds where he made history after his first goal gave the Whites a 2-1 victory over Sunderland in December of 2002. He somehow managed to slip through two defenders on the backline before punching it in to eclipse Rooney who previously held the record.
James Vaughan – Everton
Age: 16 Years, 270 Days
At the very top of the list is another former Everton player, James Vaughan. During his debut match with the Toffees in 2005, Vaughan put the fourth and final nail in the coffin with his sliding punch-in goal during Everton’s 4-0 rout of Crystal Palace, which the young forward would ironically later go on to play for. The reigns of Rooney and Milner were officially over, and Vaughan still holds the record after nearly two decades.
In a testimonial on Everton’s website, Vaughan said his “dream came true on 10 April 2005,” when he “became the youngest player to represent Everton — and the Club’s youngest goalscorer, too.”
“I came on as a substitute against Crystal Palace and 13 minutes later I scored in front of the Gwladys Street End!,” continued Vaughan. “It was a great feeling. At the time I don’t think I realized the magnitude of what I had achieved. But when I look back now, it is something I can always be proud of.”
