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Without a shred of doubt, Arsenal have had a great deal of pedigree in the history of English football. The North London club has won 14 FA Cups and three Premier League titles (since its rebranding). Traditionally, Arsenal are one of the biggest clubs in England due to their impressive trophy haul.
Arsenal have a history of trusting youngsters to play for them
Even when the stakes are high, Arsenal have shown that they do not shy away from playing young players in their first team. A young Jack Wilshere was trusted by Arsene Wenger in 2010 against the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta against Barcelona in the Champions League. Over the years, several other players have also made their mark at the club from a tender age.
Without further ado, here is a list of the five youngest goalscorers in Arsenal's history:
#5 Aaron Ramsey (17 years, 9 months and 25 days)
Welsh prodigy Aaron Ramsey joined Arsenal from Cardiff City in June 2008 for £5 million. Ramsey was coveted by a good number of clubs, but personal contact between Arsene Wenger and his family swayed him to join the Gunners.
He was thrust into the first-team immediately and made his debut in August 2008 against FC Twente in a UEFA Champions League Qualifier. The midfield prodigy scored his first goal for the club two months later, in the Champions League.
He came on as a substitute for Abou Diaby and registered his name on the scoresheet, scoring Arsenal's fifth goal in a 5-2 win over Fenerbahce. The Welshman was 17 years, nine months and 25 days old when he scored the goal.
Ramsey went on to make 369 appearances for the Gunners. He won the FA Cup on three occasions before leaving the club for free in 2019 to join Juventus. He currently plays for Scottish champions Rangers on loan from Juventus.
#4 Arturo Lupoli (17 years, 4 months and 16 days)
Arsenal signed Italian teenager Arturo Lupoli after he had impressed as a youth team player for Parma, scoring 45 goals in 22 games. He immediately joined up with the youth team at the club after his arrival.
Lupoli made his debut for Arsenal in a Carling Cup match against Manchester City on the 27th of October 2004. He scored his first goals for the club in the next round of the same competition against Everton on November 9th, finding the net twice in a 3-1 win. Lupoli was 17 years, four months and 16 days old at the time of his first goal for the club.
Lupoli appeared only seven more times for the club before he was shipped out to Derby County on a season-long loan. The Italian striker moved to Fiorentina in 2007 once his contract at Highbury expired. He currently plays for Borgo San Donnino in Serie D.
#3 Stewart Robson (17 years, 4 months and 7 days)
Englishman Stewart Robson first joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1978. He then made his professional debut for the club one month after his 17th birthday against West Ham United in the league. He enjoyed a successful career at the club after being handed his first-team debut by manager Terry Neill.
Robson scored his first goal for the club on March 13th 1982 in a 1-0 win against Ipswich. He spent about eight years as a first-team player at the club, featuring 186 times and scoring 21 goals.
He was mostly deployed in midfield or defense. He was named the club's Player of the Year in 1985, despite only being 20 years old.
After finding himself out of favour at Highbury, Robson decided to move across the city to West Ham United for £700,000 in January 1987. He retired as a Coventry City player in the 1994-95 season as a result of injuries and went into management.
#2 Jack Wilshere (16 years, 8 months and 22 days)
English midfielder Jack Wilshere joined Arsenal's youth academy in 2001. He rose through the ranks at the club, captaining various age groups before catching the eye of Arsene Wenger. Wenger gave the diminutive midfielder his senior debut in September 2008. He was introduced off the bench for Robin van Persie against Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League.
Wilshere scored his first senior goal on September 23rd, 10 days after making his debut in a 6-0 win over Sheffield United in the League Cup. He was only 16 years, eight months and and 22 days old when he scored his first goal for the club. Wilshere saw his time at the club greatly punctuated by injuries, and he made only 197 appearances in 10 years at the club.
He moved permanently from Arsenal in 2018 and played for West Ham United and Bournemouth. He could only make less than 50 appearances combined for both clubs.
After being a free agent since 2021, Wilshere joined Danish side Aarhus Gymnastikforening on a deal until the end of the season.
#1 Cesc Fabregas (16 years, 6 months and 28 days)
Cesc Fabregas joined Arsenal from FC Barcelona on 11th September 2003 after seeing no pathway to first-team football for himself in Spain. The Spaniard immediately joined the academy, but was soon called up to the senior team. He made his debut on October 28th in a League Cup match against Rotherham United.
Fabregas scored his first goal for the club in a 5-1 thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers. The match took place in the fourth round of the League Cup at Highbury on December 2nd 2003. He played the entire 90 minutes and scored his goal in the 88th minute of the match. He was only 16 years, six months and 28 days old when he scored his first goal for the club.
Fabregas went on to make 303 appearances for the Gunners and was named captain before leaving the club for a return to Barcelona. The Spanish midfielder currently plays for AS Monaco in the French Ligue 1.
