Rio Ngumoha Player Profile: Exciting Young Academy Product That Could Fill Diaz Role | OneFootball

It is fair to say that the dark days of the 1990s and early 2000s are well behind Liverpool. The club is one of the best run in the world now, which is evidenced in the fact that they are the envy of the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal when it comes to player recruitment.

Although this has been largely thanks to big-money moves for players such as Florian Wirtz, it has also been thanks to the ability to persuade talented youngsters to join the Reds instead of any of their rivals. One of the best examples of that in recent times comes in the form of Rio Ngumoha, who was wanted by everyone.

Although it would be amazing if Liverpool only signed youngsters from the local area for the Academy before turning them into world-beaters, the truth of the matter is that if you want to be the best then you need to get players in from wherever they’re based and give them the chance to flourish. Even if the player in question doesn’t make it with the Reds, they will get a good enough grounding to mean that they will almost certainly be able to make it somewhere else in the game. In the case of Ngumoha, though, the feeling is that he will go on to become a Liverpool star.

Who is Rio Ngumoha?

Rio Chima Ngumoha was born in the London Borough of Newham on the 29th of August 2008. At the age of eight, he was signed up to become part of the Chelsea youth system, remaining at their club until the summer of 2024. He won the Under-17s Premier League Cup with the Stamford Bridge side, scoring a goal in the final as the Blues won 3-1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Chelsea’s desire was to keep hold of him, but the club’s spending spree in recent years has meant that he didn’t see a clear pathway through to the first team, so he made a decision to move on.

The Reds were his first choice, even though the club had to go through a five-step process in order to get him, which is standard when players are moving between Category 1 academies. He penned a standard scholar’s contract, whilst a tribunal decided how much Liverpool had to pay to Chelsea for his signature. The attacking player made his Under-18s debut once clearance had been given, playing against Blackburn Rovers. In the international break in the September of 2024, he was given the chance to train with the first team members still at the Axa, later playing in the UEFA Youth League.

First Team Chances

In the autumn of the 2024-2025 campaign, Arne Slot made the decision to call Ngumoha up in order to train with the first team. He was named on the bench when the Reds played Southampton in the EFL Cup in the December, but didn’t make it onto the pitch. That was the change the following month, however. When Liverpool were drawn to play Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup third round, it was clear that the Dutch manager would ring the changes, given the fact that his squad was attempting to win both the Premier League and the Champions League.

Ngumoha started, becoming the youngest player ever to appear in the competition, as well as the youngest to start a first-team game of any description, aged 16 years and 135 days. His debut performance lasted until the 71st minute, at which point he was taken off and replaced by another youngster that there is a lot of hope around in the form of Jayden Danns. Liverpool won the Premier League title, and although they were knocked out of the Champions League by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain, Slot will no doubt have felt that his decision to give Ngumoha a start and rest senior players was justified.

Going on the Pre-Season Tour

In the summer of 2025, Liverpool went on a pre-season tour to Hong Kong and Japan. As part of the squad that flew out there, Ngumoha was named as one of the attacking options. He had already played in a game against Stoke City behind closed doors, scoring a goal, but he wanted to prove that he was a talent in front of watching Liverpool supporters. When the Reds took on Yokohama F. Marinos, Ngumoha came on as a second-half substitute and scored the third goal in a game that Liverpool won 3-1. It soon led to fans wondering whether he might be a genuine option for the season ahead.

Having sanctioned the move for Luis Díaz to join Bayern Munich, Liverpool needed another option for the forthcoming season. It was no surprise, therefore, that the press began to discuss Ngumoha as that option, thanks in no small part to the fact that he is a skilful and creative player that is full of genuine promise. Born in England but of Nigerian descent, Ngumoha has played for the Three Lions at youth level and will no doubt continue to thrive in that environment. A player that every club wanted to get on their books chose Liverpool, which is always a great thing to see.