The youngest players to make their England bow in the Premier League era

The youngest players to make their international bow for the England football team since 1992, the year the Premier League broke away from the EFL.

Despite a surprise 2-1 defeat to Czech Republic last week, the England national team is looking as strong as ever. They followed up that loss with a 6-0 thrashing of Bulgaria. It was the fifth time they scored four or more goals in a qualifier in this campaign.

What’s more impressive though is the wealth of young talent coming through the ranks while the Three Lions continue to destroy their opposition. The average age of the starting line-up on Monday was just a shade over 25, with the eldest of the group being 29-year-old Jordan Henderson.

one look at the bench shows that Gareth Southgate pretty much has the next generation lined up and ready to go: Chelsea pair Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori are both 20 and 21 respectively; goalkeeper Dean Henderson is 22, the same age as Tammy Abraham, who already looks like he could be an elite finisher, and Liverpool defender Joe Gomez; Jadon Sancho is still only 19-years-old, as per iSports API.

Then you have the usual starters who didn’t even get a minute off the bench at the Stadion Vasil Levski, the likes of Declan Rice (20) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (21), and those who missed out on being selected such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka (21), which just goes to show the depth the team currently possesses.

Southgate’s decision to blood in young players early is paying dividends already and could pay off at Euro 2020 and major tournaments down the line. Looking back at the list of players to have made their bow in their teens, there is a high success rate, justifying their selection in the first place.

England’s youngest debutants in the Premier League era, all data collects from iSports API.

Callum Hudson-Odoi – 18 years & 135 days

The Chelsea winger only made his debut this past March in a 5-0 home win against the Czech Republic, which he followed up with an assist in the 5-1 victory over Montenegro. At the time he had made 22 first team appearances for his club, scoring five goals.

A ruptured Achilles tendon towards the end of the season was a big blow to Hudson-Odoi, and meant he missed out on the Uefa Nations League semi-final against Netherlands in the summer. He is back from that injury now, easing himself back into action, and scored a wonderful goal for the England U21’s following a thrilling solo run against Austria.

Michael Owen – 18 years & 59 days

The second half of Michael Owen’s career didn’t provide much fodder to write home about, the striker was an absolute sensation when he first broke through at Liverpool. After scoring 15 goals in his first 33 senior appearances at club level, Glenn Hoddle saw fit to call him up for a demoralising 2-0 defeat to Chile in 1997.

Owen scored his first goal for the national team on his fourth cap, which turned out to be the winner in a friendly fixture with Morocco. The lighting quick youngster then announced himself to the world by scoring an iconic solo goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup in France. He went on to score 40 times in 89 appearances for his country, an excellent scoring record all told, according to iSports API.



Raheem Sterling – 17 years & 342 days

Manchester City‘s wily winger became just the fifth 17-year-old of all-time, and only the third in the Premier League era, to play for the England senior team.

Sterling’s debut was a rollercoaster of a game – the famous 4-2 friendly defeat in Sweden. The then-Liverpool player was a handful for the Swedes, winning the free-kick that led to England’s second goal, and Danny Welbeck scored a nice volley, but it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic who stole the show. The striker scored all four goals for the hosts, including an insane long-range bicycle kick.

At the time he had made 20 first team appearances for the Reds. It took him a while to establish himself as an England regular, but Sterling is now arguably the nation’s star player. He currently has 55 caps and has provided 12 goals and 20 assists for the team, as per iSports API.

Wayne Rooney – 17 years & 111 days
It’s easy to forget just how much excitement surrounded the emergence of Wayne Rooney as a 17-year-old. The young striker burst onto the scene at Everton with his stunning winner against Arsenal and looked to have all the makings of a world class player.

Whether or not the former Manchester United forward truly fulfilled that potential is up for debate, but his explosiveness at such a young age was a sight to behold. Sven Goran Eriksson gave him his national debut after just 26 first team appearances, in which he had scored five times, according to iSports API.

It wasn’t until his sixth cap that the boy wonder broke his duck, but once he got off the mark he didn’t stop. He made a huge impression at Euro 2004, scoring four goals in four games. That tournament was probably the peak of his international career, but he went on to find the net 53 times for England, making him the all-time record goalscorer, pipping Bobby Charlton to top spot.



Theo Walcott – 17 years & 75 days

The youngest of the lot, but the one with the least distinguished international career (discounting Hudson-Odoi’s fledgling career, of course).

Theo Walcott was hailed as the new Thierry Henry when he broke through, especially after Arsene Wenger chose to buy him Southampton for just £5 million. Sven gave him his England debut after 23 first team appearances and took him to the 2006 World Cup, but he didn’t play a single minute in Germany.

He failed to measure up to expectations over the course of his career, his inability to evolve hampering his progress. He did, though, have his moments in a white shirt, the highlight being his hat-trick against Croatia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Walcott didn’t make the final squad for that tournament, however, and he would only feature at one major competition for England in his career, Euro 2012. He ended up with 47 caps, the last of which came in a friendly draw with Spain in 2016.

For more information, please visit iSportsAPI.com.

Five high profile managers who tanked in the Premier League

With every managerial appointment comes hope. The hope that that person will be able to steer your club away from danger, take them to the next level, or bring unprecedented success. And some hirings inspire delirious giddiness in a fanbase.


Everyone gets excited by a big name coming to town, ready to turn the team into a winning machine, just like they’ve done in times before. But sometimes those expectations are never met; in fact, sometimes they perform downright shambolically.



There’s nothing worse than getting your hopes up high only to have them dashed so devastatingly. But where does it go so wrong for these high profile managers? Why did they fail in one place yet achieved success elsewhere?


Five high profile manager who flopped in the Premier League, according to iSports API football data.





Luiz Felipe Scolari


Arriving in south London in 2008, Big Phil was only six years removed from guiding Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph and four since he brought Portugal to the final of Euro 2004. But he was only seven months away from getting the sack at his new job.


Scolari’s reign as Chelsea manager got off to a good start, but it steadily declined over the course of the campaign. In October they lost their four-year long unbeaten home record in the league, losing 1-0 to Liverpool. They lost to the Reds again in February, followed up by a goalless draw with Hull City.


That spelled the end for the Brazilian’s career in the Premier League, the club reasoning that “the results and performances of the team appeared to be deteriorating at a key time in the season”. When he left, the team were fourth in the table and had a respectable 55.5% win rate. But faith in the manager had evidently waned in the dressing room and the board acted accordingly.


Ruud Gullit


“I didn’t like his arrogance – in fact I never liked him” — Ken Bates after the Chelsea chairman sacked player-manager Ruud Gullit in 1998. And that was despite winning the FA Cup the year before and having a 49% win rate, so you know he really didn’t like him.


The Blues had just been outplayed by Arsenal in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, a game in which the Dutchman played woefully and was responsible for the opposition’s opening goal.


Bates’ comments should have sent sirens off at Newcastle United, who hired Gullit as their new manager a few games into the next season. He had a tough act follow in succeeding Kenny Dalglish, but the idea was that he would bring free-flowing Dutch football to St. James Park instead of the rudimentary style employed by the Glaswegian.


Gullit couldn’t win games like his predecessor though and, despite reaching an FA Cup final, ended with a win rate of just 34%. In his autobiography Any Given Saturday, goalkeeper Shay Given wrote that from the moment of his arrival Ruud gave off the impression that “he was doing us a massive favour to leave London for the north-east”. The Irishman continued:


“In football, and in life itself, some people are just tone deaf to what’s happening around them. It’s as if they sort of get it but they don’t quite understand or plug into a place or a people or a purpose.”


Gullit’s inability to adjust to life on Tyneside was a huge contributor to his downfall, as was the fractious relationship he had with key players. His fallout with Alan Shearer has been well documented, culminating in the manager dropping arguably the greatest Premier League striker of all-time for the biggest game of the year: the Tyne-Wear Derby against Sunderland.


Given called it “the single stupidest decision ever made by a Newcastle manager”, and with Duncan Ferguson also relegated to the bench, the Magpies lost 2-1. To compound matters, he replaced them with lifelong Black Cats fan Paul Robinson. Gullit lost the faith of the team, the fans and, crucially, the board, who sacked him soon after.





Felix Magath


When Felix Magath arrived in south London, he brought with him an impressive CV, but left with a tarnished reputation.


The German had won three Bundesliga titles as manager of Bayern Munich and VFL Wolfsburg, and was a three-time German manager of the year in the noughties. This is why in 2014 Fulham turned to him for help in their fight to survive the drop from the top flight.


The Cottagers had already been through two managers that season, having discarded Martin Jol and Rene Meulensteen. The latter was sacked after his side lost 3-2 to Liverpool thanks to a late Steven Gerrard penalty in a spirited display at home. That left the Whites bottom of the table on 20 points and four from safety with 12 games left to run, as per iSports API.


Magath had gained notoriety for his taxing training sessions by running his players into the ground, but he was made famous for his unusual healing techniques. Defender Brede Hangeland claimed on Norwegian radio that the manager suggested rubbing a mixture of cream cheese and alcohol on his injury to help him recover. Magath admitted to saying just that, but he also called it a “false story” that was “distorted” by the media.


The former Hamburger SV player also concocted an unusual punishment for his players following one particular defeat. He brought the players in early the next morning on a designated day off and had them line up in their match formation and just stand there silently.


“It was a cold day, there were a couple of lads with gloves on – they were off straight away. There were leaves blowing across the pitch… You couldn’t make eye contact with anyone, you just had to stand there. I think we were there for about 40 minutes. Just standing there.”


Despite overseeing the club’s eventual relegation to the second tier, he was retained as manager for the following campaign, but it somehow got even worse. The team lost six of the first seven games in the Championship, gaining a solitary point. They were bottom of the league when the German was sacked, much to the delight of fans and players alike.


Jacques Santini


Big things were expected from Jacques Santini upon his arrival to the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur fans hoping he would take the club to the next level. Things unraveled very quickly however, and the Frenchman was gone after 13 games.


Santini had a distinguished career as a player, winning Ligue 1 five times and four French Cups with Saint-Étienne. As a manager he went on to win the league and the cup with Lyon, before taking over the national team in 2002 and winning the Confederations Cup. Renowned magazine France Football named him the country’s best coach in 2002, and he seemed destined for greater things.


That’s when Spurs came calling, and Santini agreed to join the club before the end of Euro 2004, a decision he later likened to digging his own grave. The Lilywhites went on to make their worst start in front of goal to a Premier League campaign, scoring just six goals.


A power struggle with sporting director Frank Arnesen ensued, and Santini resigned from his post after a run of four defeats in his last five games. Chairman Daniel Levy had made such a big deal of installing a continental system to run team affairs, the first of its kind in English football. By November it had blown up in his face.


Five years later Santini gave an interview to France’s Journal di Dimanche explaining why tensions existed between him, the club and Arnesen:


“They promised me a big apartment on the beach and I found myself 200m from the sea with a view of my neighbours,” he said, adding that his “only regret is having signed too early (for Tottenham). I should have waited until after Euro 2004 even if that means I might have missed my chance.”


On the subject of Spurs’ transfer policy, he lamented that he “learned on the day of our team photo that our captain (Stephen Carr) was leaving the club.”





André Villas-Boas


If ever a manager seemed primed for success in English football, it was André Villas-Boas. The Portuguese had a grandmother from Stockport, as a sixteen-year-old he learned under the tutelage of then-Porto manager Bobby Robson, and later worked for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and Inter Milan.


Few foreign managers get such an education of the English game before taking on a managerial role, and yet it just didn’t click for Villas-Boas. During his stint at the Blues he lost the confidence of several senior players, especially after he dropped Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien for the 3-1 loss to Napoli in the Champions League knockout rounds. He was sacked in February of his first season.


It has to be remembered that AVB was only 33 years of age when he took the reins at Stamford Bridge, and had plenty of time to fulfill his potential as a head coach. He fared better at Spurs, where there was less expectation to succeed, being in charge for twice as many games as his previous job and winning a respectable 55% of them, as per iSports API.


The former Porto manager, however, was criticised for being overly tactical and was abrasive with the media, which earned him few friends in the press pack. His biggest crime though was playing an aggressively high line against Manchester City and Liverpool, both of whom thrashed Spurs 6-0 and 0-5 respectively. His tactical naivety cost him his position, and he was mutually consented in December 2013.


In 2018 Villas-Boas admitted “England was bad for me, I was not flexible in my ideas.


“I learned to be more flexible when I went from Chelsea to Tottenham. I always thought more in the long run without thinking in the short term,” he said. “I was thinking about the future, but the results were irregular.”


AVB is currently managing Marseille in Ligue 1.


For more information, please click iSportsAPI.com.

The eight biggest winning margins in Premier League history

Leicester City’s 9-0 win over Southampton equalled the record for the biggest winning margin ever in the Premier League, as per iSports API football data.

The Foxes shocked the world when they claimed the Premier League title in 2016, but they will forever be in the history books after Friday night’s demolition of the Saints.

It was one of those nights where everything the Leicester players touched went in the net, but it was no fluke and they thoroughly deserved to win by a distance.



Only one other team can claim to have inflicted as big a defeat on an opponent, while six other teams have come incredibly close with eight goal victories over the years.

The eight biggest winning margins in Premier League history, according to iSports API.

Man City 8-0 Watford – 2019

We are literally just a month removed from the last time a club dished an absolutely devastating one-sided thrashing. Unfortunately for Quique Sanchez Flores, it came in just his second match on his return to the Watford dugout, losing by eight goals to a rampant Manchester City.

It was the quickest any team had ever scored five goals in an English top flight match (18 minutes), as the reigning champions were determined to make up for their shock 3-2 defeat to Norwich City the previous week. Remarkably, Raheem Sterling didn’t even get a minute of game time in this fixture, but Pep Guardiola’s side still had more than enough firepower to win extremely comfortably.

Southampton 8-0 Sunderland – 2014

Well, well, well. How does it feel to be on the other end of a complete shanking, Southampton? It was only five years ago that the Saints dished out a club record beating of their own, defeating Sunderland by eight goals to nil.

The South Coast outfit were close to their peak at that stage, playing this game with an impressive line-up: Sadio Mane, Toby Alderweireld and Dusan Tadic, before they made big moves elsewhere; then you had guys like Victor Wanyama, Shane Long, Nathaniel Clyne, Graziano Pelle and Morgan Schneiderlin when they were still very good. What would they give to have a squad like that now?

The Black Cats somehow avoided relegation that season, but they were generally terrible for several years before eventually suffering the drop. The whole affair was summed up by the opening goal of the game, Santiago Vergini’s spectacular 12th minute volley – past his own goalkeeper.

Chelsea 8-0 Aston Villa – 2012

The Blues were in an unforgiving mood when they faced Aston Villa in December 2012, putting eight past the visitors at Stamford Bridge.

It was 3-0 by half-time, but the Villains were unable to put any respectability on the scoreline after the interval. Things only spiralled in fact, and Chelsea ended the game with seven different goalscorers.

Chelsea 8-0 Wigan – 2010

For all the flak Chelsea have gotten over the years for being defensive and parking the bus under managers like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, they have always been able to find the net without much bother.

That was particularly the case in the 2009/10 campaign when, under the guiding hand of Carlo Ancelotti, the Blues scored 103 goals on their way to winning the title. That was a Premier League record until Man City scored 106 times in the 2017/18 season.

This fixture fell on the last day of the season, when the South West London outfit picked up the trophy, but it was most notable for a heated disagreement between Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba over who would take their second penalty of the game. Although the Ivorian was chasing the Golden Boot, Lampard took it as he usually does, but they soon made up.

Newcastle 8-0 Sheff Wed – 1999

As first games go, it doesn’t get much better than this. Bobby Robson had just taken the reins at his local club Newcastle United and immediately breathed new life into the organisation, which had become toxic under his predecessor.

Team morale had steadily eroded under Ruud Gullit, culminating in an embarrassing defeat to Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear Derby. The Dutchman’s decision to drop Alan Shearer in that game was described by goalkeeper Shay Given as “the single stupidest decision ever made by a Newcastle manager”.

It proved to be his undoing, and Robson came in off the back of successful stints at Porto, Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven. He immediately got the best out of Shearer, who scored five goals in an 8-0 thrashing of Sheffield Wednesday.

Spurs 9-1 Wigan – 2009

It truly is a miracle that Wigan Athletic managed to survive the drop in the 2009/10 season, considering they were on the received end of two maulings in the one campaign.

On this occasion Jermain Defoe would set a joint-record for the most Premier League goals in one game by scoring five for Tottenham Hotspur. The other goal scorers were Peter Crouch, Aaron Lennon, David Bentley and Niko Kranjcar.

Man Utd 9-0 Ipswich – 1995

The long-standing record for biggest winning margin no longer stands by itself. But in the 14 years since Manchester United crumpled Ipswich Town like a paper cup, it seemed like no one would match that elusive 9-0 scoreline.

Andy Cole made history that day, becoming the first player to score five goals in a single Premier League match. Mark Hughes nearly scored a spectacular bicycle kick, only for it to smack off the crossbar and fall to the feet of Cole for an easy tap-in.

The Welshman would go on to score twice anyway, with Roy Keane and Paul Ince rounding out the scoreline. Curiously, Ipswich are the only team on this list to get relegated in the same season as suffering their record Premier League defeat.

Southampton 0-9 Leicester – 2019

It all went downhill for Southampton when they suffered the double whammy of conceding a Ben Chilwell goal and a Ryan Bertrand red card in almost the same breath. But there shouldn’t be any excuses for a performance that was so bereft of effort, energy or belief.

One the goals starting coming, you had no confidence that the home side would be able to stop them flowing. Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will be heavily criticised for this result, and more than likely lose his job, but the players should be utterly embarrassed by themselves that they barely even tried a leg.

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Six best starts to a League campaign in English football history

It’s advantage Liverpool in the title race after Jurgen Klopp’s side opened up an eight-point gap at the top of the Premier League with victory over Manchester City, the only blemish on their impressive start to the season being a draw at Manchester United in October.

Their almost flawless start has raised expectations that the Premier League title could finally be heading to Merseyside, but where does it rank amongst the best ever starts to a league campaign?

Here are the six best league starts after 12 games in English football history, according to iSports API data.

Tottenham – 1960/61 (34 points)

Silverware has been a little harder to come by for the North London side in recent years, though in the early sixties it was Spurs who were the team to beat in English football’s top flight. The club would win a famed domestic double in the 1960/61 season, in which a fast start built the club an unassailable advantage at the top of the division.

Bill Nicholson’s team would begin the campaign with 11 successive victories, their run eventually halted by a draw with Manchester City at White Hart Lane in their 12th fixture.

It would matter little, however, as the club would go on to be crowned champions ahead of Sheffield Wednesday, the second and so far last time the club have won a league title.

* points total adjusted from two points to three per win

Manchester United – 1985/86 (34 points)

Ron Atkinson’s Manchester United side entered the 1985/86 season with hopes of finally ending their 20-year wait for a league title, hopes that were further raised following a brilliant start to the season that saw the club win their first 10 league matches.

A draw at Luton was the only blemish on their record after 12 fixtures, whilst they remained unbeaten for their first 15 until defeat at Sheffield Wednesday, as per iSports API. Their run would not last, however, as a torrid run of form over January and February saw them slip from the top, eventually finishing a disappointing fourth.

Liverpool – 1990/91 (34 points)

The second side on our list to enjoy a fast start, only to tail off and miss out on the league title. Liverpool were the reigning champions heading into the 1990/91 season and began the defence of their crown in style, winning 11 of their first 12 fixtures with a draw at Norwich their only dropped points.

That run included a 4-0 hammering of Manchester United, whilst the likes of Everton and Tottenham were beaten away from home. Eight defeats over the remainder of the season would ultimately cost them the title, manager Kenny Dalglish resigning in the February of 1991 as the club finished nine points behind champions Arsenal.

Manchester City – 2011/12 (34 point)

Having emerged as a true contender in English football following their billionaire takeover, 2011/12 would finally become the season that Manchester City were crowned champions of England once again.

Their substantial investment built a side capable of challenging, and they began the new campaign with 11 wins in 12 fixtures, a run of form that included a 5-1 win at Tottenham and that 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford, according to iSports API.

They would suffer dips of form throughout the campaign but stayed largely consistent, a run of six successive wins at the end of season snatching the title on goal difference courtesy of Sergio Aguero’s infamous late goal.

Manchester City – 2017/18 (34 points)

Arguably the greatest league season in English football history, Manchester City would become the first Premier League side ever to reach 100 points after a stunning campaign to win the title in 2017/18.

Their run would begin with 11 wins and one draw from their opening 12 fixtures, a 1-1 home draw with Everton their only blemish on a run which saw them thrash the likes of Liverpool (5-0), Watford (6-0), Crystal Palace (5-0) and Stoke (7-2).

Pep Guardiola’s side would lose just twice all season, setting a number of records including most wins (32), most goals (106) and most consecutive victories (18). They would finish a huge 19 points clear of nearest challengers Manchester United, another Premier League record.

Liverpool – 2019/20 (34 points)

Liverpool’s start to the new season is the equal best of any recorded in English football history, having amassed 34 points from their 12 fixtures so far. Jurgen Klopp’s side have raced into an early lead in the title race, having won 11 times so far including victories over Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Leicester and Manchester City.

Their only dropped points so far came at Old Trafford, Adam Lallana’s late goal salvaging a point and their unbeaten start. Hopes have been raised that the club can end their long wait for a league title this season, with no team having ever started better.

For more information, please visit iSportsAPI.com.

The five teams with the worst defensive records in Premier League history

It’s said that a good attack can win you a game, but a good defence can win you a title.

Someone should really have told this lot…

The greatest teams are built on solid foundations, though we’re not sure any side on this list could quite be called that.

The Premier League has seen some truly dodgy defences, and we’ve decided to compile a list of the very worst. Here are the five leakiest defences of the Premier League era.

The five teams with the worst defensive records in Premier League history, according to iSports API football data.

5. Wolves – 2011/12 – 82 goals

A miserable campaign for the Midlands club, who finished bottom of the Premier League having won just five league games all season.

They actually scored more goals than both Stoke City and Aston Villa who survived the drop, but a leaky backline which shipped 82 goals saw them relegated to the second tier, as per iSports API.

Manager Mick McCarthy was sacked in February and replaced by Terry Connor, though neither manager had a solution to their defensive troubles.

4. Burnley – 2009/10 – 82 goals

Now an established top division side, the Burnley of a decade ago were a different outfit to the current team.

The Clarets arrived in the Premier League for the 2009/10 for the very first time, full of excitement for their first top-flight season in 33 years.

Their excitement didn’t last long…

A league-high 82 goals conceded saw the Lancashire side swiftly return to the second tier, finishing 18th in the division. Their 6-1 defeat to Manchester City the equal highest home loss of the season.



3. Fulham – 2013/14 – 85 goals

The 2013/14 season was the first time two sides (Manchester City & Liverpool) had scored a century of league goals.

In a high scoring season, it seemed Fulham also wanted in on the act.

Sadly, for the West London club, the vast amount of goals in their fixtures were at the wrong end as a poor defence cost them their Premier League status.

The Cottagers shipped 85 league goals, seeing them relegated after a 13-year stay in the top flight, according to iSports API.

2. Derby County – 2007/08 – 89 goals

No team in Premier League history has perhaps been as out of their depth as Derby County in 2007/08.

A record-breaking season for all the wrong reasons, the Midlands side set a whole host of unwanted records, including the lowest ever points total with a paltry 11.

The Rams conceded 89 goals on route to their relegation, a record for a 38 game season, with the low point of a season featuring a 32-game winless run a 6-0 hammering at home to Aston Villa.

They have not been seen in the top flight since.



1. Swindon Town – 1993/94 – 100 goals

For younger readers, the thought of Swindon Town as a Premier League club may be too hard to grasp, but rewind back to 1993 and the Robins reached the promised land after 73 years of trying.

Their stay lasted just the one season, with Swindon finishing bottom of the then 22-team division having conceded a whopping 100 goals. Yes, a century of goals conceded, as per iSports API.

The lowlight was perhaps a 7-1 thrashing at Newcastle, with Peter Beardsley, Rob Lee and Steve Watson all scoring braces.

In fairness, their record comes from the now-defunct 42 game season, but that’s about as much credit as we’ll give them for a truly woeful record.

For more information, please visit iSportsAPI.com.

Five of the best teenage talents in Premier League history

There’s nothing quite like the emergence of a talented teenage star to truly excite football fans, and throughout the history of the Premier League we have seen some precocious talents star for some of the division’s biggest sides.

We’ve decided to look back at some of the very best starlets of the EPL era, here are five of the best teenage talents in Premier League history, data from iSports API.



Robbie Fowler

With the club’s all-time record goalscorer in Ian Rush coming towards the end of his illustrious career, Liverpool needed a new goalscoring hero and swiftly found one within their very own academy ranks.

There was much hype around Merseyside surrounding a Toxteth-born teenage talent, who would make an immediate impact at the club when handed his opportunity as an 18-year-old, scoring on his debut in a League Cup tie against Fulham before truly announcing himself with a five-goal haul in the second leg two weeks later.

Fowler would emerge as one of the most natural finishers the Premier League has seen, scoring a hat-trick on just his fifth league appearance for the club and finishing his first season as the club’s leading scorer with 18 goals in all competitions, including a then EPL record quickest ever hat-trick against Arsenal.

His second season and last as a teenager before turning 20 in April would see him plunder 25 Premier League goals, whilst he also scored deciding goals in both legs of the League Cup semi-finals as Liverpool lifted the trophy just a week shy of his 20th birthday.

Named as the PFA Young Player of the Year at the end of that season, he would retain the award the following season in his early twenties and establish himself as a Liverpool legend during two spells with the club.

Rio Ferdinand

West Ham have long had an impressive history of producing young talent, and the club’s academy would once again pay dividends with the emergence of several future England international’s either side of the millennium.

One of the first of that batch to make a breakthrough was Rio Ferdinand, who would quickly establish himself as a favourite at Upton Park before moving on to become one of England’s great defenders.

Ferdinand was handed his debut as 17-year-old, before swiftly becoming a fixture in the first-team and developing a burgeoning reputation. The defender would make almost 100 appearances in all competitions for West Ham before his 20th birthday, being named as the club’s Player of the Year as a 19-year-old at the end of the 1997/98 season.

He would later go on to twice break the record for the world’s most expensive defender with moves to Leeds and latterly Manchester United, winning six league titles at Old Trafford and retiring from international duty with 81 caps for England，according to iSports API.



Michael Owen

Liverpool would not have to wait long for their next boy-wonder to emerge from their academy ranks, with Michael Owen making an instant impact when scoring as a 17-year-old on debut against Wimbledon in the penultimate game of the season in 1997.

The following season he would become a first-team regular, scoring 18 league goals to win a host of accolades including the Premier League’s Golden Boot and Player of the Season award. Still in his teens he would then star in the World Cup with that goal for England against Argentina, before making it back-to-back Golden Boots the following season with another 18 goal haul, as per iSports API.

Owen’s teenage years were arguably his peak years, his electric pace and ruthless finishing making him a difficult proposition for defenders many years his senior.

He would later win a Ballon d’Or in 2001 before joining Real Madrid three years later, though his latter career was decimated by injuries at Newcastle, Manchester United and Stoke City as he looked a shadow of his former self.

Wayne Rooney

Few players have ever caused as much excitement as the emergence of a 16-year-old prodigy wearing Everton blue.

There had long been whispers at Goodison Park of a generational talent amongst the club’s academy system, though few could have anticipated the impact Wayne Rooney would make so early in his career.

The boyhood Blue would announce himself to Premier League fans with a stunning late winner to end champions Arsenal’s 30-game unbeaten run, before becoming England’s youngest ever debutant and goalscorer.

After scoring four times at the 2004 European Championships as an 18-year-old he would become the most expensive teenager in history when moving to Manchester United, scoring a hat-trick on his debut and being crowned PFA Young Player of the Year in his first season.

In 13 seasons at Old Trafford he would win every possible major honour including five league titles and the Champions League, becoming both club and country’s all-time record goalscorer in the process and winning a host of individual accolades.

Only a handful of players have enjoyed careers as successful as Rooney’s, though there is a feeling that he never quite fulfilled his early potential.



Cesc Fabregas
Arguably a ray of hope as Arsenal’s famed Invincible side began to dismantle, the Spanish midfielder was plucked from the Barcelona academy as he sought a clearer pathway to first-team football.

Fabregas would not have to wait long for his opportunity in North London, making his debut as a 16-year-old in 2003 before becoming a fixture in the first-team following captain Patrick Vieira’s departure for Juventus two years later.

Fabregas would make over 100 appearances for the club before his 20th birthday, helping the club to FA Cup success in 2005 and a Champions League final the following year, establishing himself as one of the best young talents in the Premier League with his creativity and passing range.

Named as the Golden Boy in 2006, he would become the youngest player ever to play and score for the club, later becoming club captain before enjoying trophy-laden spells with Barcelona, Chelsea and the Spanish national side.

A precocious talent following his emergence, he would go onto become of the division’s great midfielders with only Ryan Giggs have registered more than Fabregas’ 111 Premier League assists, as per iSports API football data.

For more information, please visit iSportsapi.com.

The five most wasteful Premier League sides in front of goal this season

The Premier League season is almost a third of the way through already, as festive football rapidly approaches in the coming weeks.

Liverpool and Manchester City unsurprisingly lead the way in the title race, though few expected both Leicester and Sheffield United to currently be occupying European places.

We’ve decided to look back over the opening months of the campaign and analyse some of the Premier League’s best stats, and this feature is dedicated to the misfiring members of English football’s top flight.

We’ll look at those who have spurned the most big chances – a chance where a player should reasonably be expected to score.

Here are the five most wasteful Premier League sides in front of goal this season, data collects from iSports API.

Manchester United – 16 big chances missed

Manchester United have endured the club’s worst start to a season in 30 years, and their hopes of securing a top four finish seem to be diminishing with each week as the club continue to stutter.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have struggled to score goals, having amassed just 13 in 11 fixtures so far and their wastefulness in front of goal is a key reason for their disappointing results.

Their wretched record from penalties has been well documented, though they have also proved far from efficient with chances in a team that often lacks creativity.

The club have missed 16 big chances already this season, and Solskjaer’s admission that the ‘fine margins’ have cost his side has never looked more apparent.

Everton – 17 big chances missed

Another team performing well below expectations is Everton, who despite a summer of significant investment find themselves languishing near the foot of the division.

Ambitions of pushing towards the top six have all but been extinguished as they sit just one place outside the bottom three, with the club ranking highly for big chances missed.

Marco Silva’s side have averaged just one goal per game in their 11 fixtures so far, spurning 17 big chances in that same period, as per iSports API.

Summer signing Moise Kean is still yet to open his account for the club in nine league appearances whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin, often accused of not being a natural goalscorer, has been their guiltiest culprit with five big chances missed.

Chelsea – 23 big chances missed

Chelsea‘s young side have received plenty of plaudits this season following their refreshing emergence under Frank Lampard, though their attacking displays have often seen chances go begging.

Lampard’s lads have missed 23 big chances so far this season, the third highest total in the division. Logic says that the more chances created, the more that will be missed, though Lampard will hope his side can be more ruthless as they bid to close the gap to the top two, according to iSports API football data.

Tammy Abraham has shone this season and currently sits second in the race for the Golden Boot, though the 22-year-old has missed eight big opportunities so far – the equal highest amount in the Premier League.

Liverpool – 24 big chances missed

Slightly ahead of Chelsea are league leaders Liverpool, who have missed 24 big chances during the opening weeks of the new season.

So far, their wastefulness around goal has failed to hamper their prospects, with the club currently possessing a six-point advantage at the top of the division.

Sadio Mane sits level with Tammy Abraham as the player with the most big opportunities missed this season (8), though teammates Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah are not far behind the Senegalese star with six and five big chances missed respectively.

Manchester City – 31 big chances missed

The most wasteful side in the Premier League so far has been the defending champions, with Pep Guardiola’s side having missed 31 big chances in their opening 11 fixtures of the season.

The club’s high ranking is due to their relentless ability to create opportunities, however, with Man City currently the highest scoring side in England’s top flight.

Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling, both amongst the early contenders for the Golden Boot, are also amongst the leading players for big chances missed having spurned six opportunities apiece, with Gabriel Jesus just one behind.

For more information, please visit iSportsAPI.com.