Rio Ngumoha is a prodigious talent and the 16-year-old sensation who wowed Liverpool fans at Anfield is believed to have once caused Chelsea to ban Reds scouts
15:14, 05 Aug 2025
Rio Ngumoha
Rio Ngumoha impressed on Monday evening(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool fans are rightfully very excited over teenage football sensation Rio Ngumoha.
The future is now on the banks of the River Mersey as the 16-year-old twisted and turned his way through an Athletic Bilbao side to produce a stunning solo goal in front of the Kop on Monday evening, before providing an assist to boot when he nodded a header to Darwin Nunez to convert from close range and put the Reds two goals up inside five minutes.
Ngumoha had already scored with an equally impressive strike against Yokohama F. Marinos and registered an assist against AC Milan. However, Monday evening was Ngumoha's finest hour - picking up the ball in his own half, Ngumoha decided to ignore his team-mates and drive towards the Bilbao goal.
He would cut inside and curl the ball past the Bilbao shot-stopper Alex Padilla. And Liverpool fans were quick to bestow him as the heir-apparent to the current King of the Kop, the great Mohamed Salah.
"Not even 10 minutes in Rio Ngumoha has one goal and one assist under his name Future Ballon D'Or Winner," one fan declared. While a second said: "Rio Ngumoha learning from the best Mohamed Salah!"
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool during the pre-season friendly match between Liverpool v Athletic Club Bilbao at Anfield on August 04, 2025 in Liverpool, England.
Rio Ngumoha has been compared to Mohamed Salah(Image: Getty Images)
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"Rio Ngumoha will be the next big thing after Mohamed Salah," a third posted. While a fourth shared: "I don't think we should put too much pressure on his young shoulders, but I'm pretty sure Ngumoha is going to be the next John Barnes!"
And another added: "Ngumoha could've easily passed there haven't seen a direct runner with confidence like that since Mane. He's generational!"
Like Salah, Ngumoha turned out for Chelsea before Liverpool - however, he was poached by the Reds last year. Ngumoha was a member of the Chelsea academy for eight years and scored in Chelsea's 3–1 win over Wolves in the U17 Premier League Cup final in April 2024, but that September he quit London for Merseyside.
Rio Ngumoha
Rio Ngumoha has been part of the first team for their pre-season training(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The Blues were furious after losing out on the prodigal talent - and they started to reject Liverpool's accreditation requests for academy matches at Chelsea’s Cobham training centre.
Manchester United also saw their accreditation requests rejected after they too attempted to sign Ngumoha. It's believed, according to The Athletic, Chelsea's move was in response to Ngumoha leaving the club.
Ngumoha's move to Liverpool did clear the Premier League’s five-step review process, which is carried out when a youth player leaves one academy to join another to ensure no rules have been broken.
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Ngumoha has since been fast tracked into the first-team and he was named among Liverpool's subs for their League Cup clash with Southampton last December.
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He would make his professional debut Liverpool's 4-0 win against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup - becoming the Reds' youngest ever player to turn out in the tournament.
Speaking after the Bilbao win, manager Arne Slot said: "Rio is showing good things every time in pre-season."
He may soon get the chance to show whether he can do the same for the Premier League champions in England's top flight.