'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
These days in football, more teenagers are proving that age is just a number, particularly when it comes to scoring goals. The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, Dusan Vlahovic and others have risen to prominence as teenagers in recent years due to their goalscoring exploits. These players began to rub shoulders with some of the biggest stars in football in their teenage years, and still continue to do so.
A new crop of impressive teenagers have come through their various youth academies and begun to light up Europe with their performances. These youngsters have transitioned seamlessly from youth level football and are performing at a high level for of Europe's top sides. Without further ado, here is a list of the five top-scoring teenagers in Europe's top-five leagues this season.
#5 Aaron Hickey (4 goals)
It is finally becoming increasingly common to see British teenagers move overseas to play senior football abroad. Aaron Hickey moved from Hearts of Midlothian to Bologna in 2020 for just €1.7 million and has impressed since joining the club.
The 19-year-old left-back has scored four goals in 23 Serie A appearances for Bologna in the 2021-22 season. With his performances on the pitch, the youngster is gradually pushing experienced duo Andrew Robertson and Kieran Tierney for a place in the Scottish national team.
Hickey has performed admirably since joining Bologna in Serie A, and has already made 35 appearances in Italy. He spent his first season acclimatizing to the new conditions and has been impressive this season. He also holds the record for being the youngest starter in a Scottish Cup final. The teenager has been likened to Robertson for his relentless running on the left flank.
#4 Georginio Rutter (6 goals)
French teenager Georginio Rutter is all about goals. The striker currently plays for TSG Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga, having joined the club from Stade Rennais in February 2021. He made his senior debut for the French club in 2020, and scored the first goal of his professional career.
Rutter has scored six goals for TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga this season in 24 appearances, with only nine of them being starts. His goals for the club have come in only 1211 minutes of action. He scored once against Augsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund and Arminia Bielefeld, and twice against Greuther Furth.
The 19-year-old France U-20 international has helped Hoffenheim greatly this season, as they have won all but one of the matches in which he scored. His side currently lie fourth in the Bundesliga, one point behind third-place Bayer Leverkusen.
#3 Sepe Elye Wahi (7 goals)
French youngster Sepe Elye Wahi is turning heads this season for Montpellier Herault SC in the French Ligue 1. The 19-year-old made his senior debut for the club in 2020 and is the second-youngest goalscorer in the club's history.
Wahi has scored seven times this season for the French club in 24 league appearances, 10 of them as a substitute. The Frenchman scored in wins against FC Nantes, Metz FC, Clermont Foot, Stade Brestois and AS Monaco, and in their defeats to AS Saint-Etienne and Stade Rennais.
The France U-19 international striker scored three goals in the entire 2020-21 season and has scored more than double that amount this campaign already. His goals have helped Montpellier reach 10th in Ligue 1, and they are currently only five points outside the European places.
#2 Florian Wirtz (7 goals)
Bayer Leverkusen starlet Florian Wirtz has been widely tipped as the next big thing out of the German Bundesliga with good reason. The 18-year-old attacker has continued to turn heads at the BayArena since making his debut for the club.
Wirtz has scored seven goals in 21 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga this season. His goals have come against Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund (home and away), Stuttgart (home and away), Mainz and RB Leipzig.
Despite only being 18, Wirtz is already a full international with the German national team, having made four appearances for the team. He is being courted by some of Europe's biggest sides and is touted to toe a path similar to that of Kai Havertz, who broke out at a similar age.
#1 Hugo Ekitike (9 goals)
Hugo Ekitike is another youngster from the French Ligue 1 who is turning heads with his performances this season. The 19-year-old plays for Stade de Reims in the French top-flight, having made his debut for the club in 2020.
Ekitike is the highest-scoring teenager in Europe's top five leagues this season as he has found the back of the net nine times in 21 appearances. He has scored against FC Nantes, Rennes, Bordeaux (home and away), Olympique Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais, Angers and Strasbourg.
Ekitike's performances for Stade de Reims have seen him coveted all over Europe. Newcastle United were a whisker away from sealing a deal for the teenager in the January transfer window, and he has also been linked with Chelsea.
