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For the longest time in football, age has been a relatively important factor in determining the quality and level of productivity of players. There are, however, a number of players who have defied these norms and started delivering quality performances from a very tender age.
Pele played a starring role and led Brazil to glory in the 1958 FIFA World Cup as a 17-year-old despite having a number of more experienced players ahead of him. Similarly, Kylian Mbappe was only 19 when he helped France to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In 2004, Wayne Rooney broke out as a 16-year-old in the English Premier League for Everton, scoring the winner against Arsenal and breaking their 30-game unbeaten run.
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Some very young players have achieved the feat of earning their first match ball very early in their careers. Here is a list of the five youngest players to do it in Europe's top five leagues since 2000.
#5 Giovani Dos Santos- 19 years and six days
Giovani Dos Santos was nurtured at the famed La Masia academy that produced Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi, among others. He received one of the best educations available for a young footballer. The Mexican teenager broke through and made his debut for FC Barcelona in the 2007-08 season, playing 38 times in all competitions.
The gifted attacker eventually left the club at the end of the season for Tottenham Hotspur in search of regular football but delivered a spectacle on his final appearance for Barcelona.
Dos Santos scored a hat-trick for Barcelona just six days after his 19th birthday as they swept Real Murcia aside 5-3 in his last appearance. It was the Mexican's first and only hat-trick of his senior career so far.
#4 Francesco Grandolfo - 18 years, 9 months, and 26 days
Francesco Grandolfo makes the list as the fourth-youngest player to score a hat-trick in Europe's top five leagues since 2000. He was making his full debut for AS Bari in the Italian Serie A when he struck a hat-trick in their 4-0 win over Bologna in May 2011.
The 18-year-old striker could not save the club from getting relegated, however, as their fate was already sealed before the match. He moved to Chievo Verona shortly after and currently plies his trade in Serie C with Monopoli.
#3 Ousmane Dembele- 18 years, 9 months and 20 days
Before injuries began to plague him, Ousmane Dembele was one of the most highly-rated youngsters in French football. The fleet-footed winger was handed his Ligue 1 debut in November 2015 by Stade Rennais and emerged as one of the top talents within months of his debut.
Dembele also became the youngest player to score a league hat-trick for Stade Rennais. He did so in their 4-1 win over Nantes on Matchday 29 of the 2015-16 season.
His performance for Stade Rennais saw him earn a move to Borussia Dortmund, from where he moved to Barcelona for a then club-record fee. Dembele is one of the world's top wingers despite his constant injury problems.
#2 Kylian Mbappe- 18 years, 1 month and 22 days
From his breakout campaign at AS Monaco, Kylian Mbappe quickly distinguished himself as a generational talent. The Frenchman made his debut for the club aged only 16 in 2015. He became the club's youngest-ever player in Ligue 1 and their youngest-ever goalscorer in 2016.
Mbappe scored his first career hat-trick in December 2016 in the Coupe de la Ligue against Rennes. Shortly afterwards, he scored his first Ligue 1 hat-trick in a 5-0 drubbing of Metz at the Stade Louis II. Mbappe benefitted from playing alongside Radamel Falcao in his breakthrough season and earned a move to Paris Saint-Germain shortly after.
Mbappe played a starring role for the French national team in their victorious 2018 FIFA World Cup squad, scoring four goals in the tournament.
#1 Jeremy Menez- 17 years, 8 months, and 15 days
Jeremy Menez signed his first professional deal with Sochaux in 2004 aged 16, making him the youngest-ever professional footballer in Ligue 1. He made his professional debut on the opening day of the 2004-05 season against Ajaccio and remained a regular for the side.
Menez scored his first goal for the side in November 2004 and two months later became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in Ligue 1 history. A 17-year-old Menez scored three goals in a seven-minute spell against Bordeaux in a 4-0 win. He went on to play for AS Monaco, AS Roma, PSG, AC Milan, and Bordeaux, and currently plies his trade with Serie B side Reggina.
