Youngest ever goalscorers from 14 top European clubs
Scoring a goal requires nerves of steel, superb athleticism and sound technical ability, or it could merely be a fumble over the line. That said, it tends to be all the more impressive when it’s a starlet bundling the ball into the net as opposed to an aged veteran.
Last week’s round of UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League fixtures alone indicated the continent is brimming with awesome young talent at present.
In homage to one of these records being broken in the last seven days, here is a definitive list of each European giant’s youngest goalscorer in all competitions:
#1 Paulino Alcántara (Barcelona – 15 years, 4 months and 18 days)
Where better to start than with one of the finest clubs in Europe and the youngest individual on this list. It was as far back as February 1912 when forward Paulino Alcántara broke this record, after he bagged a hat-trick in a 9-0 demolition of Catalá SC at the tender age of 15 years, 4 months and 18 days old.
The Spanish-Filipino footballer went on to score 369 goals for the club in both official and unofficial matches, before becoming a doctor after football.
#2 Alberto Rivera (Real Madrid – 17 years, 3 months and 25 days)
Real Madrid are perhaps less known for producing superb youth talent than for buying them. Just take their €3 million signing of Martin Ødegaard in 2015.
It is not the Norwegian, however, who holds the record of youngest goalscorer for Los Blancos, but Alberto Rivera who, in June 1995, at the age of 17 years 3 months and 25 days, netted in a La Liga game against Celta Vigo.