The top 10 teenage goalscorers in Europe: Bellingham, Garnacho, Ferguson

This season, the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Evan Ferguson have lit up the Premier League with their youthful zeal, but how do they compare to the rest of Europe?

Teenage wonder kids come and go, and it’s all too easy to become a one-hit-wonder. However, when a young talent breaks through and immediately demonstrates that they have an end product, organizations are quickly aware that they may be in possession of a future star.

It’s one thing to look nice as a kid, but turning that potential into a finished product is a completely different beast, distinguishing the excellent from the great. Goals get people up and help teams win games. You’re doing well if you’re scoring them. It’s quite straightforward.

With that in mind, here are the ten adolescents who have scored the most goals in Europe’s major leagues this season as the 2022-23 season comes to an end. Rayan Cherki of Lyon has also scored three goals this season, but his goals-per-minute ratio keeps him out of our top ten.

10. Julio Enciso
Games: 16
Goals: 3

Rayan Cherki deserves a mention for his three goals, but he falls short due to a lower goals-per-minute rate.

Enciso appears to have appeared halfway through Brighton’s 2022-23 season and immediately looked like an excellent talent. They’re pretty adept at finding them.

The season is nearing to an end, and the Paraguayan has established himself as a regular under Roberto De Zerbi. Expect a £100 million bid for him in about a year, while his replacement is being developed in their hidden room.

9. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
Games: 15
Goals: 3

After two years with Manchester City, the 18-year-old from London moved to Germany to sign with Borussia Dortmund in 2020, and he quickly established himself as a force in their young divisions.

In the 2021-22 UEFA Youth League, Bynoe-Gittens scored twice against Manchester United and has spent this season getting into the first team. He’s made 20 appearances in all competitions so far, demonstrating the club’s great regard for him.

8. Desire Doue
Games: 24
Goals: 3

Doue, who is only 17 years old, is a fixture in Rennes’ first squad as they aim to finish in the top six of Ligue 1 and earn European football.

In addition to breaking into the senior squad ahead of plan, the attacking midfielder has demonstrated his eye for goal. He will not even be 18 until June.

7. Alejandro Garnacho
Games: 16
Goals: 3

Garnacho has had a rollercoaster season. Erik ten Hag took him on the first team’s pre-season tour after he made his senior United debut in 2021-22 and subsequently helped the club win the FA Youth Cup, but he was not allowed to make an impact after failing to meet the manager’s disciplinary requirements.

He’s since cleaned up, ensuring he’s more punctual and adheres to the regulations set by the manager, and has become an important part of United’s success this season as a result.

The 18-year-old recently signed a new contract and returned from a two-month injury hiatus by coming off the bench and scoring the game-winning goal against Fulham; it was his fifth goal of the season.

6. Wilson Odobert
Games: 32
Goals: 4

Odobert, who turned 18 in November, bravely turned down a professional contract from Paris Saint-Germain for the start of 2022, instead leaving the club last summer to join Troyes.

As a result, the adolescent winger has already received regular first-team play in a top league, advancing his career far more than if he had remained in PSG’s youth divisions.

5. Evan Ferguson
Games: 15
Goals: 4

Ferguson’s breakout season has been 2022-23, but if you watch the Irishman in action, you’d assume he was a veteran forward.

His tactical grasp of the game and how he plays as a striker, dropping deep and occupying defenders or sneaking into the space between them to get shots away, is nearly as stunning as his already terrifying physical presence.

4. Eliesse Ben Seghir
Games: 16
Goals: 4

Ben Seghir, who turned 18 at the beginning of the year, is already a crucial player for a quietly strong Monaco side as an offensive midfielder.

On his first Ligue 1 appearance of the season, he scored a brace to assist his team to a 3-2 victory over Auxerre. He’s a big baller.

3. Mathys Tel
Games: 20
Goals: 5

Tel, the newest teenage prodigy to come into Bayern Munich’s senior squad, is another product of the legendary Rennes program.

Tel has dazzled with his outstanding dribbling and technical abilities and has weighed in with a handful of goals for Bayern this season, becoming the youngest scorer in both the DfB-Pokal and the Bundesliga earlier this season.

2. Youssoufa Moukoko
Games: 25
Goals: 7

Moukoko, who is only 18 years old, has already shown a fantastic eye for goal at all age groups and has stepped up for Dortmund as the season’s next big thing following Erling Haaland’s departure.

That’s not to suggest he’s been as productive as the Norwegian yet – nobody has because he’s a freak – but Moukoko has certainly demonstrated why he’s so highly regarded and already trusted by manager Edin Terzic.

1. Jude Bellingham
Games: 31
Goals: 8

There are no words to describe this man. Bellingham feels like he’s been around for years, and he has, yet he’s only 19 years old.

In what appears to be his final season for Dortmund before a move to Real Madrid, the Englishman has added another level of maturity and leadership to his game, scoring eight goals from midfield.