Top five youngest footballers to feature in Europe's top 10 leagues in 2023-24 season

The future stars of football have arrived on the biggest stage of club football

Teenagers show promise in their early stages, and it’s one thing to look sharp as a youngster, but to turn that promise into an end product is an entirely different development, separating the good from the great. There are currently so many incredible young players in senior football right now. Recently teams with more and more young players are performing very well and with good scouting systems in the clubs we are seeing some of the best young talents coming out from Europe.

We take a look at the top five youngest footballers to have played in the top ten leagues in 2023-24 season:

5. Rory Whittaker (Hibernian) – 16 years, 1 month & 13 days

Rory Whittaker came through the academy at Hibernian. He signed his first professional contract with the club in August 2023. He made his Scottish Premiership debut on 23 September 2023, as a second-half substitute for Hibernian against St Johnstone. At 16 years and 44 days old he set a record as the youngest-ever player to appear for the club. He made his first league start on 8 November 2023, from being a ball boy to becoming a professional player for the same club, Rory has come a long way. He also played for the Youth teams of Scotland.

4. Franciszek Franczak (St. Johnstone) – 16 years, 1 month & 7 days

Fran is of Polish descent, he is a product of the St Johnstone academy, Franczak began to train with the first team squad during the club’s preseason in the summer of 2023. He featured in first-team preseason friendly matches that summer, aged 15 years old. He made his Scottish Premiership debut on 23 September 2023, as a second-half substitute against Hibernian. Even though he has only made one appearance for the club he will be a great future prospect for Hibernian.

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3. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) – 16 years & 1 month

Barcelona‘s Yamal is a right winger, whose technical ability, ball control and boldness have helped him stand out already in esteemed company. As a right winger, he provides a major attacking threat, and he is already showing maturity in his decision-making. An exceptional dribbler, he is also capable of linking up well with teammates, whether via short passing, longer passes or crosses into the box.  

Yamal received his first senior international call-up on 1 September 2023 by coach Luis de la Fuente for the 2024 Euros qualifiers against Georgia and Cyprus. Currently, he is an integral part of the Spain national Team.

2. Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille) – 16 years & 20 days

Ayyoub Bouaddi joined Lille in 2021. On 21 August 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club until June 2026. On 5 October 2023, Bouaddi made his senior debut for Lille in a UEFA Europa Conference League group stage match against Faroese club KÍ which ended as a goalless draw. He also became the youngest player to appear in an official match for Lille, a record which was previously held by Joël Henry in 1978. He has represented France at U-16 international level.

1. Francesco Camarda (AC Milan) – 15 years, 8 months & 15 days

AC Milan’s 15-year-old forward Francesco Camarda became the youngest player in Serie A history on Saturday. Camarda came on in the 83rd minute of Milan’s 1-0 win over Fiorentina at the San Siro. This season he has scored seven goals in 13 games at youth level. “Francesco is a good lad, he is working well and we also need his freshness. He is very young but also very mature. We were all very happy for him. I could be his grandfather,” Milan’s 58-year-old manager Stefano Pioli told Sky Sports Italia.

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