Highlights
- Raheem Sterling burst onto the scene at Liverpool and has since won multiple league titles at Manchester City before moving to Chelsea.
- Daniel Jebbison scored a memorable goal for Sheffield United but has struggled for playing time in the Premier League.
- Lewis Miley has made an impact for Newcastle United at a young age and looks to have a promising future in the game.
It takes a special kind of player to burst onto the scene in England's ultra-competitive top flight and hit the ground running. After all, it's incredibly difficult to even get an opportunity in the Premier League. The high-pressure, cut-throat nature of the modern-day game means that managers are often rather cautious in who they entrust with such enormous levels of responsibility.
To get a chance at first-team action, youngsters don't only have to stand out as the very best from their age bracket, but they've also got to get past more senior footballers, who have already earned the right to play in arguably the very best league in the world.
And yet, every now and then, some prodigiously talented teenager somehow ends up doing enough to convince their clubs that they are worthy of minutes at the highest level. With that being the case, it's nice to celebrate a youngster doing the business.
Here at GIVEMESPORT, we want to know who are the 10 youngest players to find the back of the net in the Premier League, and what happened to them in their careers afterwards. Enjoy
1 Raheem Sterling
Liverpool vs Reading: 17 years and 317 days
After coming through the youth systems of QPR and Liverpool, Raheem Sterling scored his first Premier League goal in a 1-0 victory for the Reds against Reading back in 2012. He quickly became a mainstay in the Brendan Rodgers team that challenged for the title the following season, before controversially moving to Manchester City for £50m.
Under Pep Guardiola's stewardship, Sterling has enjoyed a successful spell in Manchester winning the league title on four different occasions. He moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2022 and continues to show his quality on a consistent basis in West London. With over 100 top-flight goals to his name in total for all the clubs he's played for, he has certainly lived up to expectations.
2 Daniel Jebbison
Sheffield United vs Everton: 17 years and 309 days
The forward was part of the Sheffield United team relegated in the 2020/21 season, his goal at Goodison Park against Everton being one of the few decent highlights from a tough campaign. However, things haven't gone to plan for the young man since then.
He spent a year on loan with Burton Albion, scoring a respectable nine goals in 23 games for the League One club. With the Blades now back up in the Premier League, the 20-year-old hasn't been able to get a look in with zero outings so far this term and has netted just two goals for the club since that first strike vs the Tofees.
3 Lewis Miley
Newcastle United vs Fulham: 17 years 229 days
The most recent entry into this list, Newcastle United teenager Lewis Miley got his chance in the team due to a number of injuries, while Sandro Tonali's 10-month ban for betting also helped pave the way. Even if fortune played its part in allowing him a shot to impress in the middle of the park, the 17-year-old still took his chance with both hands.
After shinning in both the Premier League and the Champions League, Miley netted his first goal in his seventh appearance. He scored the opener in a 3-0 win over Fulham in December 2023, finishing cooly from close range when the ball broke to him. At the dawn of his career, he looks to be a real talent.
4 Federico Macheda
Manchester United vs Aston Villa: 17 years and 226 days
Wow, this is a blast from the past. Federico Macheda's career is unique in that it peaked pretty much instantaneously. He scored a 93rd-minute winner against Aston Villa with a beautifully curled strike into the far corner but that was about it in terms of him having relevance at the top of the game.
This goal helped Manchester United win a neck-and-neck title race against arch-rivals Liverpool but that's as good as it got for the Italian. He played 36 times for the Red Devils in total, scoring five goals and has been a journeyman ever since. Nowadays, you can find the 32-year-old playing for Süper Lig club Ankaragücü in Turkey.
5 Andy Turner
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Everton: 17 years and 166 days
Way back in 1992, the very first year of the Premier League, Andy Turner scored for Tottenham Hotspur in a 2-1 victory against Everton. He went on to play 21 times for the club, before injuries took their toll, leading to Turner to finish his career in the non-league.
He moved into coaching in the later stages of his career and was most recently working with Welsh Premier Division team Cefn Druids. He took interim charge of the first team for a brief spell but left following the club's relegation at the end of the 2021/22 season.
6 Michael Owen
Liverpool vs Wimbledon: 17 years and 144 days
After scoring on his debut for Liverpool against Wimbledon in 1996, Michael Owen went from strength to strength and blossomed into one of the greatest teenagers of all time. He scored 157 times for Liverpool and even won the Ballon d'Or in 2001 when he was still just 22.
Following his time with the Reds, he enjoyed less successful spells with Real Madrid, Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke. Injuries were to blame for a rapid decline from his previous lofty heights, but he remains to this day one of English football's greatest-ever strikers. Nowadays, he can be seen regularly doing work as a pundit for TNT Sports.
7 Cesc Fabregas
Arsenal vs. Blackburn Rovers: 17 years and 114 days
Scoring his first goal for Arsenal in a 3-0 win against Blackburn in 2004, Cesc Fabregas went on to become one of the club's most iconic players. After breaking through into the senior side while still just a teenager, he was made club captain in 2008 at the tender age of 21.
The Spanish international enjoyed a glittering career that has seen him win countless honours with Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea and his national team. He spent time with Monaco and Como before retiring in 2023 and now works as the caretaker coach of the Italian side in Serie B.
8 Wayne Rooney
Everton vs Arsenal:16 years and 360 days
Still just a spotty teenager at the time, Wayne Rooney announced himself on the Premier League scene by scoring an absolute thunderbolt for his boyhood club Everton in 2002. It's one of the iconic goals of English football, which isn't a bad way to introduce yourself.
As you well know, he then went on to play an integral role in the Manchester United team that won staggering amounts of silverware. Not to mention, becoming England's record goal scorer before Harry Kane later took the top spot. Rooney is now managing Birmingham City after spells in charge of Derby County and D.C. United.
9 James Milner
Leeds United vs Sunderland: 16 years and 356 days
Funnily enough, like Rooney, James Milner also scored his first goal in 2002 – albeit to much less fanfare – with it coming in a 2-1 triumph for Leeds United over Sunderland on Boxing Day. Being the consummate professional that Milner is, he has been able to play at the highest level for over 20 years.
Only Gareth Barry and Ryan Giggs have more Premier League appearances, with all three men over the 600-outing mark. Milner moved to Brighton and Hove Albion in 2023 and is still a regular for the Seagulls, despite now being 37.
10 James Vaughan
Everton vs Crystal Palace: 16 years and 270 days
James Vaughan scored his first Premier League goal on his debut for Everton, in a 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace in 2005. Dubbed to be the new Rooney, the pressure was high on the young man from the off and unfortunately, things didn't quite work out the same way for the striker as he scored just nine times in 61 senior outings.
He ended his career with Tranmere Rovers in 2021 after playing for a number of teams within the English footballing pyramid. Suitably enough, he now works for Everton as their loans pathway manager, helping youngsters at the club in the early stages of their careers.