15 goalscorers 17 or younger 

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Ethan Nwaneri blew away the record for the youngest ever Premier League player when he came on in Arsenal’s 3-0 win at Brentford in the 2022/23 season, aged just 15 years, five months and 28 days. The previous record was set by Harvey Elliot for Fulham, who was aged 16 years and 30 days. At the time, some claimed it was just a vanity project from boss Mikel Arteta to be the manager to have given the youngest ever player his first minutes. Almost two years on, and Arteta’s decision is looking more and more justified, with Nwaneri starting to make a real impact on the first-team in this 2024/25 season, and at the Emirates on Saturday he scored his first ever Premier League goal from the bench in a 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest.

The 17 year old has made six appearances from the bench in the opening 12 Premier League games of the season, and started both of Arsenal’s EFL Cup matches, bagging three goals in the process. But his first league goal came after picking up the ball deep and driving at the Forest defence before playing a one-two with Raheem Sterling, and then neatly tucking his finish into the bottom corner. That set up a raucous chant of “he’s one of our own” from the Arsenal faithful. In scoring that goal, Nwaneri became Arsenal’s second youngest Premier League goalscorer of all-time behind Cesc Fàbregas, and also now ranks in the top 10 for the youngest scorers in Premier League history. But which other young stars join the Gunners’ talented wonderkid on the list?

The youngest Premier League goalscorers of all-time

Coming in at first place for the youngest ever Premier League goalscorer is a name many fans may have forgot, and a name many younger supporters may not have even heard of at all. In April 2005, Everton striker James Vaughan scored in the Toffees 4-0 win against Crystal Palace aged just 16 years and eight months old. The forward’s career never lived up to its early promise as Vaughan fell down the leagues and ended up playing for the likes of Bury, Bradford and Tranmere, but to this day he still holds the envious record of being the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer. In second place is James Milner, who scored for Leeds United, aged 16 years and 11 months old back in 2002 against Sunderland. Behind him by only a matter of days, is Wayne Rooney who scored a memorable long-range strike against Arsenal in 2002, aged 16 years and 11 months old.

In fourth place is Fàbregas, who scored for the Gunners against Everton aged 17 years and three months old against Blackburn in 2004. He is followed by Liverpool’s teenage star Michael Owen, who notched aged 17 years and four months old against Wimbledon in 1997. In sixth place is Andy Turner, who scored for Tottenham aged 17 years and five months old in the Premier League’s inaugaural season back in 1992. Seventh goes to Michael Ball who scored when he was 17 years and six months old for Everton in 1997. Eighth place goes to a player the streets will never forget in Federico Macheda, who scored a famous wondergoal against Aston Villa in 2009, aged 17 years and seven months old. Last year Newcastle’s Lewis Miley put himself on the list, scoring aged 17 years and seven months old for the Magpies, whilst Nwaneri now completes the top 10 after his goal on Saturday for the Gunners.