By TUM BALOGUN, SPORTS REPORTER
Published: 13:39 EDT, 26 August 2025 | Updated: 13:39 EDT, 26 August 2025
John Terry has admitted he was 'gutted' to see Rio Ngumoha leave Chelsea after the teenage starlet struck a dramatic 100th-minute winner for Liverpool against Newcastle.
At just 16 years and 361 days old, Ngumoha became the Reds' youngest-ever scorer on Monday night and the fourth-youngest in Premier League history, announcing himself on the big stage with virtually the last kick of the game at St James' Park.
The winger was on Chelsea's books from the age of nine but swapped Cobham for Anfield last summer in a move that infuriated the Blues, who even banned Liverpool scouts from academy matches.
Terry, who coached Ngumoha at Under 14 level, told The Sun: 'He is a very ambitious boy who wanted to play first-team football and believed that was his pathway into Liverpool's first team.
'I'm still in contact with him, but he's just a fantastic player.
The former Chelsea captain even compared the youngster's style to former team-mates Eden Hazard and Joe Cole.
John Terry has admitted he was 'gutted' to see Rio Ngumoha leave Chelsea after the teenage starlet struck a dramatic 100th-minute winner for Liverpool
The 16-year-old became the youngest scorer in Liverpool's history with his match-winning strike
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
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
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'There's going to be many more over the years that as an academy you lose,' he added. 'But there's always one that you think, "I'm a bit gutted we missed out on that one".
'He was a very confident player, taking the ball on the back foot, lots of personality, very confident in himself.'
'You don't see too many players that are exciting like him anymore. Since the likes of Hazard and Joe Cole… I think football's become a little bit stale and a little bit kind of tactical. But he showed that ability in the academy and unfortunately we've lost him.'
Ngumoha, on a scholar's deal worth around £1,200 a month at Anfield, has already been fast-tracked into senior action, making his Liverpool debut in the FA Cup last season.
After his last-gasp strike sank Newcastle, he said: 'I'm buzzing, I'm so happy to score, especially the winner. What a good moment. Special feeling.'