Phenoms

The Rise Of Martin Ødegaard

On May 23, 2015 Martin Ødegaard became the youngest player ever to play for Real Madrid. Just 5 months and six days after his 16th birthday, the young Norwegian talent came on for Madrid’s current superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the 57th minute, and the hype surrounding him began to build to a fever pitch.

Ben Woodburn Scores Against Leeds, Renders Michael Owen Irrelevant

Liverpool fans were probably the only people who really cared who Ben Woodburn was before this season started, but they were very excited about him.

After the youngster scored against Leeds United in the EFL Cup Tuesday, though, the cat's out of the bag. Woodburn, at 17 years and 45 days old, broke the record held by Michael Owen (17 years and 143 days) for youngest-ever Liverpool goalscorer.

Here are the match highlights:

18-Year-Old American Josh Perez Makes Serie A Debut

Down a goal and with only 10 men on the pitch, Fiorentina looked to their promising American youngster Josh Perez to help level the score against Inter Milan on Monday. The USA youth international made his Serie A debut for the Viola in the 75th minute. He almost made an immediate impact.

For some, this moment would get the best of them; youngsters often look skittish and lack confidence in their club debuts. However, this was not the case for the young American, who skillfully collected the ball on the top of the box and cut onto his left foot as he shaped to shoot. 

Lionel Messi’s Oldest Son, Thiago, Is Falling In Love With Football

Born on November 2nd, 2012 in Barcelona, Thiago Messi’s imminent arrival was first announced by his father during a match between Argentina and Ecuador. Messi scored a goal and celebrated by placing the ball under his shirt, later confirming that his partner, Antonella Roccuzzo, was pregnant with their first child. 

Moise Kean Becomes First Player Born In The 2000s To Debut In The UCL

Generation Z has officially landed in the UEFA Champions League, and Moise Kean displayed an attention span lasting much longer than a few seconds during his six minutes on the pitch. 

The 16-year-old came out sans a mobile device, belying his status as a young consumer and digital native. While some might claim that, in accordance with the desires of his fellow post-millennials, Kean’s debut was just a bit of instant gratification following his Serie A debut on Saturday, the forward is actually a pretty special and unique individual, just like everyone else in the iGeneration.

Five Youth Players Manchester United Could Use Right About Now

Manchester United, it's fair to say, has not had the greatest season so far. Jose Mourinho's men currently reside in the foggy depths of sixth place in the Premier League table. To put that in perspective, they're even with Everton and three points above Watford.

To make matters worse, there has been a litany of issues for United in the past few weeks. A frustrating loss to Fenerbache in midweek has left United in third in their Europa League group and Mourinho's squad is facing a mini injury crisis.

Cameron Carter-Vickers Will Be Very Good Despite Being Thrown To The Wolves In EFL Cup

Cameron Carter-Vickers, an 18-year-old American center back, made his second appearance for Tottenham Tuesday. It did not go well. His debut came in the EFL Cup against Gillingham and he played well in a win. Tuesday, though, the likes of Gillingham were nowhere to be seen. Tottenham played Liverpool.

Mauricio Pochettino continued the time-honored tradition of playing his second-string in the EFL Cup because who cares it's the EFL Cup, so Carter-Vickers got the nod. 

Liverpool also trotted out a fairly inexperienced side except for, um, the strikers.

Renato Sanches Wins 2016 Golden Boy Award Because He’s The Man This Planet Needs

Dubbed the "Teenage Terminator", 19-year-old Renato Sanches is a savage. The youngest player to ever win the European Championships and the Euro 2016 Young Player of the Tournament, Sanches’ 2015-16 began with the Benfica B squad but ended with a transfer to Bayern Munich that could end up costing the Bavarian side as much as €80 million.

Sanches added another accolade to his growing trophy cabinet on Monday, winning the 2016 Golden Boy award ahead of Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Munich teammate Kingsley Coman.

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