Rio Ngumoha announced himself in style on Monday night as he scored a 100th-minute winner for Liverpool against Newcastle to earn the Reds a 3-2 victory with virtually the final kick of what was a feisty contest at St. James’ Park.
While much of the attention heading into the clash was on wantaway Newcastle striker Alexander Isak – who has gone on strike in a bid to force a move to Anfield – 16-year-old Ngumoha ensured the night ended with him in the spotlight.
In becoming the fourth-youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at the age of 16 years and 361 days old, just one day behind Wayne Rooney, the youngster earned a precious three points for Arne Slot’s men on Tyneside.
However, he is not in fact a homegrown Liverpool academy player, having been born in the east London borough of Newham, where he honed his footballing ability by playing in local five-a-side cages.
That is in similar fashion to new Arsenal signing Eberechi Eze – who did so in Greenwich – with the compact pitches placing a greater emphasis on skill and technical control than full-sized fields.
His brother encouraged him to take up the sport and has since become a hugely influential figure throughout his rise through the ranks.
Rio Ngumoha announced himself in style on Monday night as he scored a 100th-minute winner for Liverpool against Newcastle
His crucial goal earnt the Reds a 3-2 victory with virtually the final kick of what was a feisty contest at St. James’ Park
Indeed, he could have played for a number of London club after taking up the game at the age of just four, as he initially spent time at West Ham and Arsenal.
However, the Gunners were unable to keep hold of him despite introducing him to their record goal scorer Thierry Henry and cult hero Santi Cazorla.
Instead, he joined Chelsea’s famed Cobham academy at the age of nine only to be snapped up by rivals Liverpool just under a year ago in an opportune move that provoked considerable ire at Stamford Bridge.
That sees him paid on a standard scholar’s contract of £1,200 ($1,600) per month (£14,400 per year) at Liverpool – who he opted to join ahead of Manchester United.
Despite the west London side offering him numerous contracts, Ngumoha opted to move to Anfield instead in a switch that made Chelsea so angry that they allegedly banned Liverpool’s youth scouts from attending their academy matches.
After news of his move to Chelsea broke, former Blues club legend John Terry was also quick to voice his frustration on his old team losing out on such a prodigiously talented player.
He wrote on Instagram: ‘This boy is and will be a top, top player.’
It did not take long for the starlet to make an impression on Merseyside, as he became the youngest player to have started a match for Liverpool having made his full debut aged 16 years and 135 days old in a 4-0 victory over Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup last season.
He joined Chelsea’s famed Cobham academy at the age of nine only to be snapped up by rivals Liverpool just under a year ago
The Gunners were unable to keep hold of him despite introducing him to their record goal scorer Thierry Henry and cult hero Santi Cazorla
Despite the west London side offering him numerous contracts, Ngumoha opted to move to Anfield in a switch that made Chelsea so angry they allegedly banned Liverpool youth scouts
That saw him congratulated by Sheringham Primary School in Ilford – which is just over three miles away from West Ham’s old Boleyn Ground – as he also spent much of his youth in neighbouring East Ham.
A post from the school on X, formerly Twitter, read: ‘Showing he’s a true Sheringham pupil, after the game Rio shared: ”I have learned you have to be resilient and believe in yourself.”
‘Here at Sheringham, teachers and pupils are immensely proud of Rio and wish him all the best in his future football career!’
Praise has also come from his former youth coach, Saul Isaksson-Hurst, who has already coached the likes of Jamal Musiala, Levi Colwill and Tino Livramento when they were part of Chelsea’s academy.
He recalled, per Sport Bible: ‘He was an outlier. His ability on the ball and the way he beat players with ease was on another level.
‘I remember at a tournament in France, we were knocked out at the group stage, but he still managed to win the Player of the Tournament award. He’s the best player I’ve coached by a country mile.’
Ngumoha is unlikely to let fame get to his head, though, having been labelled as an extremely ‘down to earth’ individual by his former head teacher.
William Brobby, his former teacher and deputy head of year, at Kingsford Community Secondary School in Newham, said: ‘He came back for his school prom, which doesn’t always happen when kids move on to professional teams – especially if they’ve moved away from London.
Praise has also come from his former youth coach, Saul Isaksson-Hurst, who has already coached the likes of Jamal Musiala, Levi Colwill and Tino Livramento
Ngumoha (third bottom from left) is unlikely to let fame get to his head, though, having been labelled as an extremely ‘down to earth’ individual by his former head teacher
‘He took pictures with everyone, and that sums him up as a person. He’s very down to earth.’
Brobby was working at Kingsford when Ngumoha left a lasting impression during a trial he underwent for a local district side.
‘What struck me immediately was his technical ability with the ball. No one could get it off him. He was tricky, skillful, quick and sharp with a low centre of gravity, and he could go both ways.
‘On top of that, he could score goals. That was the main thing. He was a goalscorer.
‘There was one game where he scored a hat-trick of free-kicks, which won us the game. His ability from dead balls was outstanding.’
Now, he has announced himself on the biggest stage of all by earning Liverpool a win in a game they looked to have let slip from their grasp.
Last year, he said: ‘I’m a real believer that I can win the Ballon d’Or. I want to be regarded as one of the best players to ever play football’.
Ngumoha, though, appears not to be one to let opportunities pass him by and if he can maintain that drive over the rest of his career – his name will be hard to forget – particularly if he does end up fulfilling his ambitions.
