Manchester United’s amazing academy striker Chido Obi-Martin marked the signing of his first professional contract by becoming the all-time goalscorer in the U18 Premier League.
Ever since his transfer in the summer, Obi-Martin was expected to put pen to paper on a senior deal when he turned 17, the earliest a player can turn professional. The Danish teenager reached the significant milestone on Friday and followed it up for United’s U18s in a 3-0 win over Stoke City on Saturday.
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A boy in a man’s body! The 188cm tall striker has been in brilliant form since leaving Arsenal’s youth team to join Manchester United in October. Obi-Martin rattled in a 14-minute hat-trick on his home debut for the young Red Devils. Goals against Everton and his latest penalty against Stoke took the youngster’s personal tally to a record-breaking 37 goals in 23 U18 Premier League appearances.
U18 Premier League’s all-time top scorer
| Position | Player | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 1.Chido | Obi-Martin | 37 |
| 2.Ellis | Simms | 36 |
| 3= | Folarin Balogun | 34 |
| 3= | Reo Griffiths | 34 |
| 5.Oakley | Cannonier | 32 |
Stacking up a mountain of goals at the youth team level is not always a precursor to a productive career at the senior level. Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time top scorer, held a similar record for England’s U21s for years. However, he shared the high watermark with the rather less successful Francis Jeffers.
Obi-Martin surpassed Ellis Simms’ record at U18 Premier League level. The former Everton striker barely got any opportunities to replicate his scoring form for the senior team, amassing just 12 top appearances for the Toffees before moving to second-tier Coventry City in 2023.
Much like Obi-Martin, Folarin Balogun came through Arsenal’s youth team. The prolific teenager remained in North London until the age of 21, enjoying a goal-filled loan spell with Reims before joining Monaco on a permanent basis the following year. While there have been some notable lows during his adaptation to Ligue 1, and he memorably missed two penalties in the same 1-0 loss to Nice last year, Balogun has averaged one goal every other game.
After taking the proactive step of baking a professional contract into the scholarship deal that Obi-Martin signed earlier this year, United have made their desire to keep the teenage phenom very clear. When – if at all – he will be cleared at senior level is another question entirely.
The now 17-year-old Dane is the youth league’s all-time top scorer with 37 goals in just 25 games.
The previous record holder was Ellis Simms, who has a past as a youth player at both Manchester City and Everton. Today he plays in Coventry.
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