The 17-year-old winger has swiftly progressed from the academy to the first-team picture, already repaying manager Arne Slot’s faith with a historic debut goal.
Liverpool Football Club has officially announced that teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha has signed his first professional contract, a three-year deal that secures his future at Anfield until the summer of 2028.
The exciting winger, who only joined Liverpool’s academy from Chelsea last summer, has enjoyed a meteoric rise. After quickly impressing with the under-18s and under-21s, Ngumoha etched his name into the club’s history books in January. At just 16 years and 135 days old, he became the youngest player ever to start a first-team match for Liverpool in their FA Cup tie against Accrington Stanley.
His impressive performances during pre-season were so convincing that they reportedly led the club to decide against signing a replacement for Luis Díaz, with management believing Ngumoha is ready to provide competition for established stars like Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa.
That faith was spectacularly rewarded in August. Coming off the bench against Newcastle United, the then-16-year-old scored a last-minute winner on his Premier League debut, also becoming the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer. He has since made several more appearances, including a Champions League cameo and his first start of the season this week in the Carabao Cup.
Manager Arne Slot has been full of praise for the youngster’s remarkable composure. After the Newcastle match, Slot highlighted Ngumoha’s fearless attitude and natural finishing ability.
“He’s a player that can finish really well for his age. How firm his shot was, you don’t see this often for a 16-year-old,” Slot said. “I did hear someone afterwards in the dressing room, I won’t say who, said they would have taken that ball, have a first touch, then finish it off. But he is so confident.”
Slot added, “That’s what I like, because the first ball he got he wasn’t afraid. He immediately took someone on… for him to score that goal is not completely a coincidence because for his age he is an amazing finisher.”
With his future now officially tied to the Reds, the Liverpool faithful have a new homegrown hero to cheer for as Rio Ngumoha’s exciting journey continues.
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