With his goal in the 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest, Brighton & Hove Albion forward Evan Ferguson matched a feat achieved by the Premier League Hall of Fame member Wayne Rooney and underlined the potential he has.
The 19-year-old’s strike from the edge of the box at the City Ground was his 11th Premier League of 2023. The Irishman goes level with Rooney for most Premier League goals in a calendar year scored by a teenager. Rooney achieved his total in 2005, with Manchester United.
Another two goals from Brighton’s six remaining matches this year and Ferguson will go above Nicolas Anelka and Francis Jeffers to third in the rankings.
He might struggle, however, to get to the 22 goals Robbie Fowler scored in 1994 and the 25 Michael Owen registered, both for Liverpool.
Ferguson’s goal tally is more remarkable for the fact that his playing time has been restricted this year. Indeed, his total of 11 goals has come at a rate of one every 143 minutes, a rate that only Owen and Fowler have bettered among teenagers who have scored at least 10 goals in a calendar year.
| Player | Year | Goals | Mins/goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Owen | 1998 | 25 | 126 |
| Robbie Fowler | 1994 | 22 | 140 |
| Nicolas Anelka | 1998 | 12 | 221 |
| Francis Jeffers | 1999 | 12 | 172 |
| Wayne Rooney | 2005 | 11 | 175 |
| Evan Ferguson | 2023 | 11 | 143 |
If he maintains this scoring rate before he turns 20 on 19 October 2024, Ferguson will likely go into the top eight of teenagers to have scored the most Premier League goals.
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Michael Owen | 40 |
| Robbie Fowler | 35 |
| Wayne Rooney | 30 |
| Mason Greenwood | 20 |
| Nicolas Anelka | 19 |
| Alan Smith | 17 |
| Francis Jeffers | 17 |
| Chris Bart-Williams | 14 |
| Raheem Sterling | 14 |
| Romelu Lukaku | 14 |
| Emile Heskey | 13 |
| Marcus Rashford | 13 |
| Evan Ferguson | 12 |
| Robbie Keane | 12 |
| Ryan Giggs | 12 |
