13 youngest players in La Liga history (Ranked) | OneFootball

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La Liga is a league full of talent, providing the foundations for some of football’s greatest players to reach their peak. Lionel Messi made his debut in the competition - at the time breaking the record as Barcelona’s youngest-ever player. That has now been beaten, multiple times, as the league, and Barcelona specifically, continue to push the boundaries.

Some young players push on – immortalising themselves as the greatest players of all time. While others fail to live up to the hype they were subjected to at an early age. Every year, a new teenage sensation walks onto the hallowed field at a young age. Most are normally finishing their education at 16, but these La Liga players go down into folklore as the 13 youngest players in La Liga history - according to Transfermarkt.

13 Patricio Pelegrín (Real Murcia) - 16 years, 6 months, 20 days

Very few would have heard of this Spanish attacker, but Pelegrín became the fourth-youngest player in La Liga history when he featured in Real Murcia's 2-0 defeat to Barcelona on 4th May 1975. Despite featuring at such a young age, Pelegrín failed to live up to his early career promise. He would go on to make just 13 appearances throughout his career - scoring just four goals in the process. Failed moves to Córdoba CF and Castellón almost epitomised his short-lived career, as he quickly retired at the age of 30.

12 Paul Quaye (Espanyol) - 16 years, 5 months, 24 days

Much more recently, Quaye made his league debut for Espanyol on 11th March 2012, featuring in their 5-1 win against Rayo Vallecano. Playing in a team alongside Philippe Coutinho and Kiko Casilla, Quaye had the opportunity to play alongside now well-known names within the sport, even if it was for just three minutes.

His three-minute cameo against Rayo Vallecano proved to be his only appearance for the Catalan club before spells across lower-league Spanish football epitomised his lack of impact throughout his career. Most recently, Quaye left Atlético Benidorm to join Rayo Ibense in the Tercera División. It's fair to say he hardly lived up to the promise his teenage years suggested.

11 Frank (CA Osasuna) - 16 years, 5 months, 8 days

On 9th September 1984, Frank featured for CA Osasuna in their 3-0 loss to Atlético Madrid, playing all 90 minutes. His efforts in the middle of the park proved to no avail, as Frank failed to make another competitive appearance for five years. After spells across Spain at Getafe and Lugo, the Spaniard eventually found his feet at Palamós CF, featuring 22 times for them. However, just like the previous players on the list, a clear picture was being painted. Most of La Liga's young record-breakers failed to kick on in their careers.

10 Martin Ødegaard (Real Madrid) - 16 years, 5 months, 6 days

When Ødegaard joined Real Madrid from Strømsgodset IF, he was billed as the next Messi. He featured in Norway's senior squad at the age of 15 - the youngest player in the nation's history. With the world's pressure on his back, Ødegaard struggled to adapt to life in the Spanish capital, making his debut in a 7-3 win against Getafe in the final game of the 2014/2015 season. Consistently classed as one of Europe's brightest talents, he was expected to kick on in Madrid. However, due to a poor relationship with senior management and numerous loans, he made just 11 appearances for the club. Now Ødegaard plies his trade for Arsenal in north London - performing week in and week out for one of England's best sides. But the same question will always remain; what went wrong at Real Madrid?

9 José Antonio Reyes (Sevilla) - 16 years, 4 months, 29 days

This will be a throwback for avid football fans in the 2000s, as week in and week out, Reyes caused chaos in the Premier League for Arsenal. But before his time in north London, Reyes rose onto the biggest stage for Sevilla, featuring in their 2-1 loss to Real Zaragoza on 30th January 2000. The winger came on as a substitute for Nando in the 86th minute, and although it may have been a brief appearance, it kick-started his career in southern Spain a year later. Eventually, he made 250 appearances for Palanganas, currently placing him 13th on the all-time list. Reyes tragically died at the age of 35 in a car crash in 2019, but his impact on football was felt throughout, whether that was for invincible Arsenal or boyhood club Sevilla.

8 Rafel Obrador (RCD Mallorca) - 16 years, 4 months, 25 days

As the world shut down in 2020, football in Spain restarted during the summer. With Real Madrid crowned champions, on the island to the east of mainland Spain, Mallorca were providing youngsters the opportunity to write themselves into the history books. Three days after confirming relegation to the second division, Obrador featured in the dying minutes in Mallorca's 2-2 draw away to Osasuna. The result had little meaning to the fans back on the island, but providing the left-back with game time shone the spotlight onto Mallorca. Obrador went on to join Real Madrid's youth team, where the 19-year-old has featured regularly for the U-19 side. However, his future is still undecided.

7 Fabrice Olinga (Malaga) - 16 years, 3 months, 6 days

At the start of the 2012/2013 season, left-winger Olinga featured for Malaga in their 1-0 away win to Celta Vigo. However, this wasn't just a brief appearance in the dying minutes, as the youngster came on for Sebastián Fernandez 58 minutes in.

Most would expect a youngster to take time to make an impact, but he shone on the biggest stage immediately - netting the winner in the dying seconds of the match with a right-footed shot. The prodigy, who came from the Samuel Eto'o foundation, went on to have a successful career, finding stability with Royal Excel Mouscron in Belgium. Selection for Cameroon at the 2014 World Cup proved to be the pinnacle of his career.

6 Branislav Kubala (Espanyol) - 16 years, 2 months, 24 days

Going back into history, Kubala became the third-youngest player in La Liga history at the time, featuring in Espanyol's 2-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao on 3rd April 1965. The winger played all 90 minutes in the Basque Country, but it failed to catapult his career into life. The Czech Republic-born winger made just one more appearance for Espanyol, before spells across Spain and a trip across the pond to play for Toronto Falcons and Dallas Tornado.

5 Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) - 15 years, 9 months, 16 days

It would have been hard to miss this teenage sensation taking La Liga by storm in recent months. With frequent comparisons to Messi, Yamal has the world's pressure on his shoulders, but he is already dealing with it emphatically. A late debut on 29th April 2023, in a 4-0 win against Real Betis made him the youngest player to play for Barcelona - breaking the record previously held by Ansu Fati. But now, four months onwards, Yamal is a key figure in Xavi's system, recently becoming the youngest player to register an assist in La Liga history. Many players on that list failed to kick on after promising teenage years, but with Yamal's attitude, epitomised by his grateful celebration towards his childhood, there is no doubt he can be a prominent figure for Barcelona.

4 Oscar Ramón (Real Zaragoza) - 15 years, 9 months, 15 days

It may have proved to be his only senior appearance in professional football, but Oscar Ramón's quick cameo wrote his name into the La Liga record books. On the 9th September 1984, Ramón came on for the final seven minutes of Real Zaragoza's 4-0 loss to Terry Venables' Barcelona. He made little impact, but the opportunity to play at one of football's most iconic stadiums will be something Ramón will never forget.

3 Pedro Irastorza (Real Sociedad) - 15 years, 9 months, 13 days

Going back 89 years, La Liga had only been running for five years, with Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao dominating the major honours. However, on the 4th February 1934, Pedro Irastorza wrote himself into the record books as the then-youngest player in the league's history. Picked by 48-year-old manager Harry Lowe, it proved to be a result to forget for Irastorza and Real Sociedad, losing 4-0 to the Catalan giants. Over the next eight years, the Spanish full-back featured 30 times for Real Sociedad, but never proved himself to become a star of the league.

2 Sanson (Celta Vigo) - 15 years, 8 months, 11 days

But just five years after Irastorza, Sanson wrote himself into the La Liga history books for more than 80 years. Starting in Celta Vigo's 4-1 win away to Sevilla on New Year's Eve 1939, he proved to have a successful debut at such a young age. Although he left Celta Vigo in 1941, he returned in 1951 as a 26-year-old with more than 75 games worth of experience for Real Oviedo. Despite scoring just one goal in his career, the right-back proved to have a far more successful career than most on his list. His record as the youngest player was only toppled three years ago.

1 Luka Romero (Mallorca) - 15 years, 7 months, 6 days

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In the summer of 2020, as Mallorca were fighting to stave off relegation, Romero was brought in as a new youngster capable of saving the Spanish island from anything. But away to Real Madrid, with just seven minutes left, the dream debut was always going to be unlikely, as they lost 2-0 at the Alfredo Di Stéfano training ground. Di Stéfano, a man famous for utilising youth whenever possible, would be proud to know Romero kicked on from his early limelight.

Relegation to La Liga Smartbank provided Romero with more minutes in the tank, before a move to Italian giants Lazio shocked the footballing world. In the Italian capital, he rarely played, but became the club's youngest-ever player at 16 years old - featuring in their 6-1 win against Spezia. In the summer of 2023, Romero joined footballing giants AC Milan on a free transfer, with the Argentinian still having many years ahead of him to make an impact in Milan.