Five of the youngest soccer teams of all time

Last update 19 March, 2022 by Alberto Llopis

When Nordsjaelland broke the all-time Danish record for the youngest starting eleven in history, The rest of the football world marveled at the average age of the players: solo 20 years and 20 days.
However, the danes were not surprised. He Nordsjaelland has a history of super young teams: in the last decade, have occupied 48 of the 50 first places for the youngest Danish teams in history. Besides, the benefit is not only the records: the club has finished in the top six for five consecutive years and has entered 55 million euros with the sale of young talents.
This leads to the question: Does a young staff give good results?? Here's a look at some of the youngest teams in European football history.

Gaziantepspor, 2017 (average age: 19,9 years)

Teams do not always play with young people by choice. Unlike Nordsjaelland, from 2017, Turkish side Gaziantepspor had to choose to play with more and more teenage players due to the serious financial problems they were going through..
With an average age of less than 20 years, His squad was probably the youngest in the world, and this lack of experience was reflected in the results. In 2018-2019, the team lost 29 of the 34 games he played and remained anchored at the bottom of the standings throughout the season.
The next year, participated in the Turkish regional amateur league, but with the arrival of the pandemic, the club could no longer continue paying its players. As expected, Gaziantepspor went bankrupt and this meant the end of their young player policy.

FK Metta, from 2014 (average age: little less than 20 years)

Metta is another team that believes in youth, and that has earned them the nickname "the Students". The club maintains a close relationship with the University of Latvia and very often puts out starting lineups with an average age of less than 20 years.
After their promotion to the country's first division in 2011, The club has always emphasized bringing out new talents, and the team has been and is the youngest in the Latvian top flight since 2014.
The system works for both the club and the players: Metta makes money by offering low salaries and selling its best assets, while players gain invaluable experience. Everyone wins.

Middlesbrough, 2006 (average age: 20,5 years)

The Middlesbrough manager, Steve McClaren, had several reasons for taking out such a young team in the last game of the season 2005-06: The club's academy had produced its most interesting crop of talent in years and its first team was exhausted after a very long season with up to 62 matches that included a heroic participation in the UEFA Cup.

With an average age of just over 20 years, Most of the players debuted with the first team. Lee Cattermole became the club's youngest captain at the age of 18 years, while Josh Walker, who came from the bench, had just turned 17 years, meaning he wasn't old enough to enter a nightclub or play in a casino.

The team fought bravely, but, in the end, Fulham's experience prevailed and the London team won thanks to a late penalty. However, It was just the beginning for part of the team.: Ross Turnbull joined Chelsea and Cattermole enjoyed most of his career at the top level.

Bolton Wanderers, 2019 (average age: 21,6 years)

Los Bolton's recent financial problems They are well known and have contributed to a fall in the divisions of the English football pyramid. His first season in the third level presented a big problem: the first team players had not received their salaries for five months and refused to play in the third game of the season against Coventry.
Eleven youth players, some of whom were in the club's academy from the age of eight, they volunteered to play. To the surprise of many, Their more experienced opponents had a lot of trouble dealing with them.. The Bolton goalkeeper, Matt Alexander, I then had only 17 years.
The game ended 0-0, a superb achievement for young people, who received a standing ovation at the end. Unfortunately for the club, There was nothing the young talents or the players on the squad could do later to avoid relegation..

Arsenal, 2009 (average age: 22,8 years)

The famous Arsenal youth academy had produced many young talents in the time of Arsène Wenger, and their fans often boasted about how their children's divisions would give them much more joy in the Premier League.

And that's what happened in 2009, when, with qualification for the Champions League assured, Wenger selected a youth team against Portsmouth in the last game of the season.
The London team won comfortably by 3-0 with two goals from Nicklas Bendtner, of 21 years, and a bit of Carlos Vela, one year younger. In that match, Portsmouth goalkeeper, David James, he was more than twice the age of his opponent Aaron Ramsey, of 18 years.

So, Is youth better than experience?? It's hard to say; The above shows that it produces mixed results and often depends on many other factors. But as the pandemic continues to overshadow football and force clubs to tighten their belts, youth rosters could become a common feature in many major leagues.