5 most expensive players aged 18 or younger
Young stars have been the hottest property in the game for a very long time. Investing in young talented individuals and developing them into world-beaters has been the strategy for the most successful clubs in the last two decades.
Signing a young striker and turning him into a proven asset can lead to guaranteed goals for the better part of a decade.
Although there have been some flops along the way, some clubs have succeeded in identifying the right talent and honing their potential carefully. But signing that player will always take a little more money than one would spend on a teenager.
Attackers, more often than not, are some of the costliest investments in the game. Their age, along with their potential, can lead to big numbers being thrown in the mix to sign them.
On that note, let's take a look at five most expensive players ever to be signed aged 18 or younger.
#5 Wayne Rooney (β¬37 million)
Wayne Rooney is arguably the greatest signing in the history of Manchester United. The Englishman broke onto the scene when he joined the first-team setup at Everton as a 17-year-old.
In his time at the Merseyside club, he scored 28 goals in 117 games. But his fire, passion and desire to be the best was clear in every single match. This was enough to convince Sir Alex Ferguson to chunk out β¬37million for the 18-year-old in 2004.
"You've got to get this lad. He's the best young player in England!"
Sir Alex recalls signing @WayneRooney: manutd.co/Or https://t.co/O32QPQOgMS
It was the most expensive fee ever for a teenager at that point but it was bound to reap profits. Rooney took to Old Trafford seamlessly. He became an instant fan favorite with his knack of scoring unreal goals and working hard for the team. His versatility also made him the first-name on the team sheet.
In the 13 years he spent in the red half of Manchester, the English international became the highest goal-scorer in the history of the club (253). He also became the second highest goal scorer in the Premier League. In 2017, he re-joined Everton before moving to a couple more clubs and then retiring in January 2021.
Rooney is currently managing Championship club Derby County but remains one of the best investments ever made by a Premier League club. So it is a good thing the Red Devils spent the amount they did.
#4 Luke Shaw (β¬37.5 million)
Luke Shaw is the second and last Manchester United player on this list. The left-back was one of the best English talents in the sport during his time at Southampton as a 17-year-old.
He made 67 appearances under the then Saints manager Mauricio Pochettino and the Red Devils were convinced about their next big signing.
Proving himself to be one of the best signing in the post-SAF era.
Luke Shaw π https://t.co/LIzk84QCxE
Louis van Gaal had just been appointed at the time and the club were reverting to a back three with wing-backs. Shaw felt like a good signing, since he was a dynamic and adventurous left-back who could run up and down the flank with relative ease. Moreover, he was only 18, and paying β¬37.5 million for his services in 2014 felt like a justified move.
But he rarely fit into the system in his early days and a horrific injury kept him out for the most part. The Englishman then had a rough patch with former United manager Jose Mourinho too. The Portuguese preferred to turn Ashley Young into a full-back rather than utilize Shaw.
However, things turned around under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the full-back is now a starter at Old Trafford. He still possesses injury issues but interim boss Ralf Rangnick does seem to like him.
Still only 26, the former Southampton ace will want to give the Red Devils their money's worth by helping them win a major trophy in the coming years.