Bukayo Saka reached a milestone during Arsenal’s clash with Aston Villa this weekend, as the winger made his 150th appearance in the Premier League.
While the occasion was not one to remember as Arsenal lost 1-0 at Villa Park, it was nonetheless another achievement for the 22-year-old, who became the fifth youngest player to reach 150 games in the division.
We look at the five youngest players to reach the milestone.
The five youngest players to reach 150 Premier League games:
5. Bukayo Saka – 22 years, 95 days
Saka enters this list at number five after making his 150th Premier League appearance against Aston Villa this weekend.
The Arsenal academy graduate has evolved into one of the division’s most exciting talents since progressing from the youth system, having been a regular with the North Londoners since the 2019/20 campaign.
Saka, who was named as Arsenal’s Player of the season in 2020/21 and 2021/22, has scored 36 goals and provided 32 assists in his 150 top-flight games for the Gunners.
Bukayo Saka scores our 100th goal in 2023 🙌 pic.twitter.com/D2KAqETdjd
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 3, 2023
Last season’s PFA Young Player of the Year, Saka made 87 consecutive Premier League appearances between May 2021 and September 2023, an Arsenal club record.
4. Raheem Sterling – 22 years, 87 days
Raheem Sterling edges out his England colleague in fourth place on this list, having made his Premier League debut for Liverpool aged 17.
Sterling broke into the Liverpool side under Brendan Rodgers and was a key part of the club’s title challenge during the 2013/14 campaign. The winger joined Manchester City in a £49m deal in 2015, where he won four Premier League titles.
Sterling was named the PFA Young Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year in 2018/19, after scoring 25 goals during Manchester City’s domestic treble success. Still just 29, he has made 363 appearances in the Premier League.
3. James Milner – 21 years, 310 days
That James Milner is still playing Premier League football, more than two decades after his debut, is a staggering achievement.
The fresh-faced midfielder made his debut in an oversized Leeds shirt way back in 2002, briefly becoming the youngest player to score in the Premier League aged 16.
Milner’s career has since taken in spells at Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and now Brighton, hoovering up a host of trophies that includes three league titles and the Champions League on the way.
Milner, who will turn 38 in January, has now played 623 Premier League games. Gareth Barry’s appearance record (652) is within reach.
2. Cesc Fabregas – 21 years, 210 days
Cesc Fabregas is the second-youngest player to reach 150 games in the Premier League, celebrating the milestone aged 21 years and 210 days.
Arsenal agreed a deal to bring the Spanish starlet to North London from Barcelona and wasted little time in introducing Fabregas into the side. The midfielder became a regular at 17, growing in influence as the face of the post-Invincibles Arsenal side.
“One of the great solo goals in #PL history!”#GoalOfTheDay belongs to @cesc4official ✨ pic.twitter.com/UYM5KUJ9M7
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 13, 2020
Fabregas was named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2007/08 and made 350 appearances in the Premier League during spells at Arsenal and Chelsea. He returned 111 assists in those games, with only Ryan Giggs having ever recorded more.
1. Wayne Rooney – 21 years, 67 days
Wayne Rooney’s emergence was arguably the most exciting of the Premier League era, as the 16-year-old announced his arrival with a last-minute winner for Everton against Arsenal.
Rooney’s rise was rapid and he became the most expensive teenager ever when signing for Manchester United in 2004, where he won the PFA Young Player of the Year in each of his first two seasons at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney. Old Trafford. Newcastle.
Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/8ZRgSoELHa
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 2, 2023
At the time of his departure from Manchester United 13 years later, he was the club’s record goalscorer with 253 goals and one of just two Englishmen to have won the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, League Cup, Europa League, and FIFA Club World Cup.
Rooney is the only player in Premier League history to reach 200+ goals and 100+ assists.
Read – Noughties Nines: Wayne Rooney – An inimitable emergence
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