When it comes to league goals scored by the youngest first-team squad members, there is one club across all of European football’s so-called “Big Five” divisions that stand clear of the rest — and by some distance.

Premier League excitement machines Brighton & Hove Albion have had more goals scored by teenage players so far this season across all of the Premier League, German Bundesliga, Spanish LaLiga, Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1.

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With head coach Roberto De Zerbi ready and willing to place his faith in uninhibited exuberance, the Seagulls have benefitted from youthful endeavour more than any other top European club — leaving the likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Juventus and many of their more illustrious counterparts far behind.

Here we examine the stats and highlight the clubs from each league that have had the most goals scored by teenagers in the 2023-24 campaign.

Premier League: Brighton & Hove Albion (nine goals)

Brighton are leading the way by a comfortable distance, with the Premier League’s seventh-place side seeing nine of their 38 league goals this season scored by teenage players.

The majority have been netted by striker Evan Ferguson, who has scored six league goals in 19 games so far, including four goals in his first four games of the season (and a spectacular hat trick in a 3-1 win over Newcastle United). However, the 19-year-old Republic of Ireland international added two further goals in his next eight appearances and hasn’t found the net at all since the end of November.

The Seagulls have also seen 18-year-old full-back Jack Hinshelwood score two goals in his debut Premier League season (against Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur respectively), while 19-year-old attacking midfielder Facundo Buonanotte scored what proved to be a consolation goal in a 3-2 defeat against Chelsea in early December.

Regardless, Brighton can still boast four more goals scored by teenagers this season than any other team in Europe’s top leagues and six more than their closest Premier League competition, which happens to be Burnley (4).

LaLiga: Girona (five goals)

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Surprise-package Girona are sitting pretty at the top of LaLiga after a truly remarkable start to the season and what’s more, Michel Sanchez’s high-flyers can also claim to have had more goals scored by teenaged talent than any other club in the Spanish top-flight.

Indeed, all of Girona’s goals can be attributed to 19-year-old winger Sávio, who has scored five in 19 league appearances for the Blanquivermells thus far which puts the Brazilian forward third in the club’s list of highest league goal-scorers behind only Artem Dovbyk (14) and Cristhian Stuani (7).

In terms of goals scored by teenagers, Girona are narrowly above Alaves (4) and Barcelona (3) in the pecking order as things stand. It’s perhaps also worth noting that Barca — along with Brighton — are one of only two teams in Europe’s big five leagues to boast three different teenage goal-scorers this campaign in Gavi (age 19), Marc Guiu (18) and Lamine Yamal (16).

Pipping erstwhile rivals Bayern Munich by a single goal, Dortmund have had the most goals scored by teenagers in the Bundesliga so far this season.

In what has been a fairly underwhelming campaign for Dortmund, prodigious 19-year-old striker Youssoufa Moukoko has amassed three goals in 10 games including two in his last two outings (despite coming on as a late substitute in both and spending a combined total of 25 minutes on the pitch).

Dortmund’s other teenage goal-scorer is 19-year-old English winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who scored his first goal for the club in a 4-2 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach in late November.

Ligue 1: Lorient (four goals)

They may be rooted to the foot of the Ligue 1 standings but Lorient can perhaps at least take solace in the emergence of young forward Eli Junior Kroupi, who has scored four goals in 17 games for the club at the tender age of 17.

Kroupi’s finest individual moment undoubtedly came in early October when the France youth international scored his side’s opening two goals in an eventful clash against Lyon that eventually ended in a 3-3 draw.

Thanks to Kroupi’s output, Lorient have seen double the amount of goals scored by a teenager this campaign than their closest Ligue 1 competition, with Paris Saint-Germain, Rennes, Montpellier, Lille and Reims mustering just two apiece.

Serie A: Monza (three goals)

Squeezing out AC Milan by the narrowest of margins, the Serie A mantle goes to mid-table Monza who have 18-year-old midfielder Valentin Carboni and 19-year-old winger Samuele Vignato to thank for their combined running tally of three goals (with Carboni accounting for two of them).

While hardly the biggest of hitters, Monza can at least claim to be on par with established European heavyweights such as Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona in having seen three goals scored by teenagers so far this season.

The full list

Brighton & Hove Albion: 9
Girona: 5
Alaves: 4
Lorient: 4
Borussia Dortmund: 4
Burnley: 4
Manchester United: 3
Barcelona: 3
Bayern Munich: 3
Monza: 3
Eintracht Frankfurt: 3
Celta Vigo: 2
AC Milan: 2
PSG: 2
Rennes: 2
Montpellier: 2
Lille: 2
Real Betis: 2
Aston Villa; 2
Reims: 2