9 Greatest teenager footballers ever – including Manchester United & Barcelona legends

5. Diego Maradona

Many audiences believe that Diego Maradona is the greatest footballer of all time. This may be true – but he was definitely one of the best teenager footballers ever.

Unfortunately, there is little footage of Maradona during his time at Argentinos Juniors, where he spent his younger years. Thankfully, however, the statistics remain.

From 1976 to 1979, when Maradona was 16 to 19 years old, he scored an eye-watering 73 goals in 121 games – he also won the FIFA World Youth Championship with Argentina U20 in 1979.

4. Ronaldo

In his teenage years, the Brazilian striker played for Cruzeiro and PSV – racking up a mind-boggling goal record for both of the two clubs.

At Cruzeiro, Ronaldo scored 34 goals in as many games. He arguably bettered himself when he took the step up to PSV, netting 42 goals in 46 Eredivisie outings.

Like Rooney, Ronaldo’s career petered out early due to mismanagement of his early career – but with numbers like these, it isn’t difficult to see why he was played so often as a youngster.

3. Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff is widely regarded as both the best Dutch player of all time and the best young Dutch player of all time – his early years at Ajax were the stuff of legend.

From midfield, he scored 16 goals in 19 games in just his second season with the club. He won the Eredivisie in 1966, proving himself as Ajax’s star man in the process.

During this time, Cruyff was just 19. Perhaps even more impressive – when he joined Ajax, they were in a spot of turmoil – until he dragged them out of the doldrums.

2. Pele

At the age of 18, Pele reached the pinnacle of the sport. Not only did he win the World Cup with Brazil in 1958, he also scored six goals along the way, as well as a brace in the final.

Little needs to be said about Pele at this stage. Everyone is fully aware of his greatness – few, if any players, have possessed his ability on the ball.

Sadly, due to spending the majority of his career in Santos, Pele’s achievements at club level are hard to compare with the other players on this list – but his performance at the 1958 World Cup is more than enough to land him the #2 spot.

1. Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is regarded by many as the greatest player of all time. This should come as no surprise – especially when his emergence into football is examined.

He burst onto the scene at Barcelona, scoring 21 goals in 50 La Liga in his first three seasons at the Nou Camp.

Before Messi turned 20, he had won two La Liga titles, the Spanish Supercup and the Champions League – a truly prodigious talent, his pure dribbling ability may never be truly replicated or indeed his overall impact on the beautiful game.