Most expensive teenage footballers – Now more than ever, the best young players in world football command some of the most astonishing transfer fees clubs are willing to pay. Some managers prefer to invest in proven quality despite the premium price tag carried by such players, while others opt to comb through several countries across the globe in search of hidden gems.
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The facilities of a club’s youth academy can play a key role in uncovering and nurturing the stars of the future. For example, the likes of Ajax, Barcelona and Southampton are renowned for producing the cream of the crop. It’s because not every club in world football has the capacity to develop the next Ronaldo or Messi that gives rise to the huge fees paid to take the best young players away from their boyhood clubs.
Special players who tick both boxes in terms of youth and ability come along every now and then. As the transfer market grows increasingly competitive, it seems clubs are ever willing to take risks on these starlets. Although it’s understandably difficult to gauge how a player will develop beyond his teenage years, it’s becoming more common for clubs to splash millions on a supposedly promising youngster before cutting their losses on a failed investment and selling them on at a significant loss.
However, like any high-profile transfer, not all of the inclusions in the list have achieved what many coaches, scouts, teammates and supporters had hoped they would. Some have developed into footballers ranking almost the best on the planet despite shouldering the burden of a hefty transfer fee. On the other hand, many youngsters have comparatively failed to live up to the hype generated by the astounding wealth ploughed into their acquisition.
Here the top 20 most expensive teenage footballers ever.
20. Stephan El Shaarawy – £10.85m
Once considered one of the most highly rated players of his generation, Stephan El Sharaawy’s stock has dwindled since bursting onto the scene in the 2013-14 season. The tricky winger joined AC Milan for £10.85m aged 18-years-old in June 2011 and became the club’s youngest ever Champions League goalscorer with a strike against Zenit just a couple of weeks shy of his 20th birthday. However, stuttering form and recurring injuries have rattled his momentum following an impressive 2013-14 season, restricting him to just 28 appearances for the Rossoneri during the following two campaigns. El Shaarawy is now spending a year on loan at Monaco, with the deal becoming guaranteed if he plays a certain amount of games.
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