10 Youngest Goalscorers in Premier League History (Ranked)

With its unrivaled competitiveness, the Premier League is home to many an astounding young footballer. Every year, the general public discovers such players, each more talented than the last, each aspiring to leave the best possible impression in the best league in the world.

And while there are many ways of achieving this, finding the net is certainly the best of them all. That’s why, this article takes a look at the 10 youngest goalscorers in Premier League history.

11 Daniel Jebbison

17 years and 309 days

Scoring is one thing; doing it to celebrate a first start is quite another. Just ask Daniel Jebbison. After all, in May 2020, that was the destiny the young centre-forward chose to embrace. Barely a week after making his debut for Sheffield United, the native of Oakville, Canada, was about to make Premier League history.

Playing up front for a Blades side already condemned to relegation to the Championship, Jebbison nonetheless gave them a prestigious victory at Everton’s Goodinson Park, even though he had yet to sign a professional contract. A signature he would finally affix a few days later.

10 Ethan Nwaneri

17 years and 247 days

There’s been plenty of talk about the promise that Ethan Nwaneri has shown in the early days of his career, but it took him until his eighth appearance in the Premier League before he got off the mark. He’d already hit the back of the net for Arsenal on multiple occasions in the EFL Cup, but it wasn’t until he was 17 years and 247 days old when he got on the scoresheet in the league.

His goal was nothing more than the icing on the cake as the Gunners ran riot over Nottingham Forest, with the forward bagging his side’s third goal of the game. Big things are expected of Nwaneri going forward and if his start is anything to go by, the future is very, very bright.

9 Lewis Miley

17 years and 229 days

The 2023/24 season will live long in the memories of Newcastle fans as that of Lewis Miley’s blossoming. Because playing in around 30 games at just 17 years of age is no mean feat. Nor is finding the back of the net in a league as competitive as the Premier League.

Yet the young midfielder managed to do just that in his sixth appearance in the top flight. Against Fulham, Miley made sure of his place alongside Paul Gascoigne and Lee Clark in the Magpies’ all-time list of youngest goalscorers, and even made it into the top five straight away.

8 Federico Macheda

17 years and 226 days

On 5th May 2009, it was far more than just an unexpected victory over Aston Villa that Federico Macheda gave Manchester United, but rather an English championship crown. The young Italian, who that night made his professional debut alongside stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs, went from being an unknown quantity to being heralded as the new rising star of world football.

His injury-time winner not only gave the Red Devils victory, but also – and more importantly – kept them top of the league with five games to spare. Rarely has ‘Fergie Time’ been so richly honoured.

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6 Andy Turner

17 years and 166 days

Does the name Andy Turner mean anything to you? Perhaps not. After becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League in his inaugural season, the Irish winger never shone in the top flight of British football. And with good reason. In his 16-year career, Turner played for no fewer than 19 different clubs, from Crystal Palace and Portsmouth to Rotherham and Kettering.

However, his goal for Tottenham against Everton on 5th September 1992 enabled him to make a name for himself in the annals of English football and show younger players that a promising start to a career is not always synonymous with continued success.

5 Michael Owen

17 years and 143 days

Although Turner didn’t make much of an indelible impression, he did hold on to his record for almost five years, before a young English prodigy came along and took it away from him. A striker from Liverpool’s Academy who is well known to all: Michael Owen.

As the 1996/97 season drew to a close, Roy Evans decided to give Owen his professional debut on a matchday trip to Wimbledon FC. The future 2001 Ballon d’Or winner seized the opportunity to celebrate with his first career goal, despite losing the match. The start of a career memorable in many ways.

4 Cesc Fabregas

17 years and 113 days

In many ways, Cesc Fabregas has left his mark on the history of the Premier League – and British football in general. Firstly, by establishing himself as one of the best midfielders to ever grace the pitch in the top flight. Secondly, because he is still the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal’s history. And finally, because he is fourth in the league table, which is, of course, a historic achievement.

A mark set in August 2004 in a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. The player trained at La Masia, Barcelona’s legendary academy, will have left an indelible mark of his talent during a spell in England that also saw him play for Chelsea for almost five seasons, between 2014 and 2019.

3 Wayne Rooney

16 years and 360 days

Here’s a player who needs no introduction. But for those who may have forgotten, before he became a legend in the colours of Manchester United, Wayne Rooney first played in the Premier League for Everton, his formative club. And it was with the Toffees that he scored his first goal. And what a goal it was.

With his 25-metre drive into the back of David Seaman’s net, the England striker ended Arsenal’s run of 30 consecutive league games without defeat. It was an event that quickly made the headlines in the UK’s specialist media and, at the age of 16, had already catapulted the young Rooney into the spotlight.

2 James Milner

16 years and 356 days

Four days. That’s how long James Milner and Rooney were apart when they scored their first Premier League goal. In fact, you have to go back to December 2002 to find evidence of the goal scored by the indestructible English midfielder. Then playing for Leeds United, his beloved club, Milner was still a teenager when he managed to beat Sunderland goalkeeper Jurgen Macho.

It was the start of an extraordinary career that would see him win every trophy possible and unimaginable on the national and international stage. Now 38, the Brighton player does not seem ready to hang up his boots just yet, and is even aiming to break Gareth Barry’s record of 653 Premier League appearances (Milner has 637).

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1 James Vaughan

16 years and 270 days

James Vaughan will never forget 10th April 2005. At the age of just 16 years, eight months and 27 days, the young Everton player made Premier League history. Scoring on his professional debut in a 4-0 win over Crystal Palace, the striker launched his career in the best possible way.

It was a career he would never quite manage to get off the ground, appearing in just 51 further Premier League games and scoring a further six goals. Although he has been retired for a few years now, Vaughan has nevertheless enjoyed a number of adventures in the lower divisions, most notably winning the League One title with Wigan Athletic in 2018.

All statistics per TheAnalyst and Transfermarkt. Correct as of 04-11-2024.