The youngest goalscorers in Ligue 1 McDonald’s history

By finding the net just five seconds after coming on against Nantes on Friday (1-0), Mezian Mesloub recorded the fastest goal by a substitute in Ligue 1 McDonald’s since Opta began collecting the data in 2006/07, beating the previous mark held by Ireneusz Jelen (six seconds for Auxerre against Lorient in October 2007).

The Lens prodigy, son of former Algeria international Walid Mesloub, also entered the top 10 youngest scorers in Ligue 1 history at the age of 16 years and six months.

The ranking is still topped by another Lens player: Richard Krawczyk, who scored against Angers SCO in September 1963 at just 16 years, 3 months and 15 days old. Just ten days behind him is Saint-Étienne legend Laurent Roussey.

Maupay and Niang high in the rankings

The podium is completed by a much more recent name: Neal Maupay. Under Claude Puel at OGC Nice, the striker wasted little time opening his Ligue 1 account for his boyhood club. On 15 December 2012, Maupay scored in stoppage time to snatch a 3-2 victory against Evian and became the third-youngest goalscorer in Ligue 1 history at 16 years, 4 months and 1 day old, during only his sixth substitute appearance.

“It’s an incredible feeling. This goal gives us the win. We were 2-0 down and managed to win the match in an amazing atmosphere. It’s extraordinary!” the young striker said after the game.

His rapid rise came as little surprise. Maupay had already won the Coupe Gambardella at the age of 15 while playing above his age group against players two or three years older. “If I play him, it’s not because he’s 16 but because he deserves it,” Puel said at the time.

Fourth in the ranking is M’Baye Niang. The Senegal international marked only his second Ligue 1 start for Caen by scoring in the second minute against RC Lens in May 2011 at 16 years, 4 months and 18 days old.

“He has enormous potential. We had never seen anything like him at the club,” said Philippe Tranchant, one of his youth coaches. Patrice Garande, then part of Caen’s coaching staff, later told Footnormand.fr: “He was already very mature in his play, physically strong and combined power with pace. M’Baye had huge self-confidence. We never paid attention to his age.”

Zaïre-Emery overtakes Ogbeche at PSG

At Paris Saint-Germain, Warren Zaïre-Emery took over the club record that had been held for 21 years by Bartholomew Ogbeche, who himself sits 17th in the all-time ranking ahead of Kylian Mbappé.

During the 2001/02 season under Luis Fernandez, Ogbeche scored on his first start away at Nantes in a 2-1 defeat. Having been promoted from the reserve side, the Nigerian scored twice more the following month, earned a professional contract, and was soon selected for the 2002 World Cup.

His remarkable rise began after being spotted at a U17 tournament in South Africa by agent Roger Henrotay, who later told Le Parisien in 2002: “Before leaving for South Africa, I promised PSG I would bring them the best player.”

Shortly after arriving in Paris, Ogbeche impressed in a youth tournament in the UAE with PSG’s reserve team under Antoine Kombouaré, who admitted he had “not seen many young players at that level. He’s a real goalscorer who reminds me of Shabani Nonda.”

The 20 youngest goalscorers in Ligue 1 McDonald’s history*

1. Richard Krawczyk (RC Lens) – 16 years, 3 months, 15 days – September 1963
2. Laurent Roussey (Saint-Étienne) – 16 years, 3 months, 25 days – April 1978
3. Neal Maupay (OGC Nice) – 16 years, 4 months, 1 day – December 2012
4. M’Baye Niang (Caen) – 16 years, 4 months, 18 days – May 2011
5. Michel Margottin (RC Lens) – 16 years, 5 months, 7 days – November 1960
6. Cyril Cassèse (RC Toulon) – 16 years, 5 months, 21 days – May 1989
7. Mezian Mesloub (RC Lens) – 16 years, 6 months – May 2026
8. Maryan Wisniewski (RC Lens) – 16 years, 7 months, 5 days – September 1953
9. Thierry Ferrier (Sochaux) – 16 years, 7 months, 24 days – June 1981
10. Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG) – 16 years, 10 months, 24 days – February 2023
11. Charly Loubet (Stade Français) – 16 years, 11 months, 18 days – January 1963
12. Bernard Zénier (FC Metz) – 16 years, 11 months, 26 days – August 1974
13. Michel Stievenard (RC Lens) – 17 years, 5 days – September 1954
14. Kurt Zouma (Saint-Étienne) – 17 years, 23 days – November 2011
15. Inacio Airton (Stade Français) – 17 years, 24 days – December 1966
16. Eduardo Camavinga (Rennes) – 17 years, 1 month, 5 days – December 2019
17. Bartholomew Ogbeche (PSG) – 17 years, 1 month, 24 days – November 2001
18. Kylian Mbappé (Monaco) – 17 years, 2 months – February 2016
19. Désiré Doué (Rennes) – 17 years, 2 months, 28 days – August 2022
20. Eli Junior Kroupi (Lorient) – 17 years, 3 months, 2 days – September 2023

*Since 1947/48

Jean ahead of Henry for youngest debut double

Missing from the top 20 overall list, Thierry Henry (17 years, 8 months and 12 days) nevertheless scored twice for his first Ligue 1 goals in April 1995. Introduced from the bench for Monaco against Lens in a 6-0 win, the future France legend announced himself in spectacular fashion.

“I didn’t know him at all and thought I was favourite to reach the ball first, but everything happened so quickly,” former Lens goalkeeper Guillaume Warmuz recalled to So Foot. “I thought I had it, but he took it away and somehow scored from an impossible angle. That’s when I realised: this guy is fast. Looking back, with the career he went on to have, you understood he had something special.”

However, Henry is not the youngest player to score a brace for his first Ligue 1 goals. That honour belongs to Corentin Jean, who became Troyes’ youngest-ever goalscorer at 17 years, 7 months and 22 days after netting twice against Reims in March 2013.

Youngest goalscorer by club in Ligue 1 McDonald’s*

• AC Ajaccio: Moussa Soumano – 17 years, 6 months, 23 days (2022/23)
• Amiens SC: Jack Lahne – 18 years, 1 month, 6 days (2019/20)
• Angers SCO: Mohamed Ali Cho – 17 years, 7 months, 10 days (2021/22)
• Auxerre: Jean-Marc Ferreri – 18 years, 29 days (1980/81)
• Bastia: Alain Santucci – 17 years, 6 months, 14 days (1972/73)
• Bordeaux: Jean-Marc Ferratge – 17 years, 9 months, 23 days (1977/78)
• Brest: André Pennec – 19 years, 14 days (1979/80)
• Caen: M’Baye Niang – 16 years, 4 months, 18 days (2010/11)
• Clermont Foot: Lucas Da Cunha – 20 years, 7 months, 14 days (2021/22)
• Guingamp: Ludovic Blas – 18 years, 1 month, 3 days (2015/16)
• Le Havre: Florent Sinama-Pongolle – 17 years, 9 months, 28 days (2002/03)
• Lille: Kevin Mirallas – 17 years, 7 months, 2 days (2004/05)
• Lorient: André Ayew – 18 years, 9 months, 10 days (2008/09)
• Marseille: Samir Nasri – 17 years, 6 months, 16 days (2004/05)
• Monaco: Kylian Mbappé – 17 years, 2 months (2015/16)
• Nice: Neal Maupay – 16 years, 4 months, 1 day (2012/13)
• PSG: Warren Zaïre-Emery – 16 years, 10 months, 24 days (2022/23)
• Rennes: Eduardo Camavinga – 17 years, 1 month, 5 days (2019/20)
• Saint-Étienne: Laurent Roussey – 16 years, 3 months, 25 days (1977/78)
• Sochaux: Thierry Ferrier – 16 years, 7 months, 24 days (1980/81)
• Strasbourg: Raymond Fenus – 17 years, 8 months, 8 days (1973/74)
• Troyes: Corentin Jean – 17 years, 7 months, 22 days (2013/14)

*Since 1947/48