Target Man: The Joys Of Being A 17-Year-Old Phenom

It’s been three weeks since Federico Macheda burst into the football world’s consciousness with a glorious goal that gave Manchester United a win over Aston Villa. When the 17-year-old Italian striker snagged a second match-winner the following weekend against Sunderland—a lucky touch, to be sure—Macheda etched his name into footballing lore.

Since then, Macheda’s been talked about ad nauseam from Rome to Rio. He earned his first start this past weekend in the Red Devils’ FA Cup semifinal loss to Everton, and although he didn’t score, he constantly threatened to, and something tells me Sir Alex would’ve liked to have the Italian Stallion on the field when the game went to penalties.

Regardless, even if Macheda never plays another minute, he will always be remembered—for his audacity on the turn for his first goal, for his impeccable timing on the second goal, and for the sudden frenzy that has thrilled the soccer world these past few weeks.

Hopefully, of course, this won’t be all Macheda is famous for in the end. Hopefully, he’ll go on and become a superstar who scores brilliant goals again and again until he’s well into his middle age. But regardless of how it plays out, he’s already joined an impressive pantheon of 17-year-old heroes. Here are a few of the best:

Pele: The greatest of all time was already famous in his home country, where he had been a 15-year-old phenom for Santos, when the wider world learned about him at the 1958 World Cup. Then 17, he scored the only goal in a quarterfinals win over Wales, then availed himself of a hat trick against France in the semis. He wasn’t done yet, though. He notched two more in the final, a 5-2 win over hosts Sweden. Suddenly, everyone from Real Madrid to Juventus wanted a piece of the teenager, but the Brazilian government declared him a “national treasure” to keep him from going to Europe.

Marco Van Basten: One of the most graceful strikers of all time, the Dutch master debuted for the Amsterdam giants Ajax in April 1982, when he was 17 years, six months old. He, of course, scored in a 5-0 win over NEC Nijmegen. It was the first of the 128 league goals Van Basten would score in 133 Eredivisie appearances for Ajax before his 1987 move to AC Milan, where he added another 90 Serie A goals to his total.

Paolo Maldini: Teenaged defenders are a rarity, especially in Italy, which arguably makes Maldini’s early success even more impressive than his celebrated longevity. Now 40, he was a 17-year-old wunderkind in 1985 when he took possession of the leftback’s position in the AC Milan starting XI. He finished the 85-86 season with 27 appearances in Serie A, just the opening chapter on an epic career that includes 640 top-flight appearances for the Rossoneri.

Zinedine Zidane: Zizou made his Ligue 1 debut for Cannes in February 1991, when he was just 17 years, 8 months old. Hinting at the attacking greatness that would eventually help earn him World Cup, Champions League, Liga, and Serie A medals, he scored on his debut. Reportedly, the club’s owner gifted him a car as a reward for the goal, despite the fact that the driving age in France is 18.

Ronaldo: Before Inter and Real Madrid, before his mysterious episode at the 1998 World Cup and his triumphant triumph at the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo was a rising star for Cruzeiro, for whom he scored 12 goals in 14 league appearances. Still 17, he was called into the Brazilian side for the 1994 World Cup. Despite calls for coach Carlos Alberto Perreira to insert the teenager to enliven the relatively uninspiring Seleçao, he stayed on the sidelines. Nonetheless, after the tournament, he transferred to Dutch side PSV for $6 million (£3.9m at the time).

Wayne Rooney: He was actually a week shy of his 17th birthday in 2002 when his stunning long-range effort gave the Toffees an unexpected win over Arsenal. In addition to ending the Gunners’ thirty-game undefeated streak, the goal put Rooney on the world’s map. After his birthday, he went on to score another 14 goals for the Blues, setting the stage for his eventual $45 million (£25m) move to Manchester United in 2004.

Lionel Messi: The shaggy-haired trickster was just 17 years, 10 months, and 7 days when he scored his first goal for Barcelona in May 2005 in a league match against Albacete Balompié. He was the youngest goal-scorer in Liga history until his Blaugrana teammate Bojan Krkic broke his record in 2007. Naturally, Messi, by then an elder statesman at 20 years of age, provided the assist on the goal.

But there is one cautionary tale for Macheda and his fans to bear in mind. Norman Whiteside still holds the record for the youngest player to appear in the World Cup finals. The Manchester United striker was just 17 years and 41 days old when he suited up for Northern Ireland against Yugoslavia at the 1982 World Cup, the first of five starts for him in Spain. Known for his height and tenacity, the Old Treafford favorite went on to play 206 league games for the Red Devils, scoring 47 goals. But, he was out of the game by age 26, cut down by knee injuries that required 13 operations over his short career.