Top 10 Outstanding Players Developed from Southampton's Youth Academy

Alan Shearer was born on August 13, 1970, in Gosforth, Northumberland. At the age of 15, Shearer moved to train at Southampton FC from Newcastle. At just 17 years and 240 days old, Shearer broke the world record for the youngest player to score a hat trick in professional football, a record previously held by Jimmy Greaves for 30 years. A bright future lay ahead for Shearer at that time. He decided to stay with the St Mary's club until the end of the 1991 - 1992 season before moving on to play for Blackburn Rovers. The subsequent years witnessed a prolific Shearer, scoring a total of 422 goals for both club and country, setting the record for Premier League goals with 261 before retiring in 2006 due to injury.

At the age of 15, Alan Shearer was a student at Wallsend Boys Club, where he was initially rejected by Newcastle United for the goalkeeper position! (Alan also admitted that he only played in goal for a short period). He then moved to train at Southampton FC. He made his first appearance on the field as a substitute in a match against Chelsea on March 26, 1988. And a month later, he made headlines as he made his first start for the club and scored a hat trick against Arsenal on April 9, 1988. At that time, Alan was only 17 years and 240 days old. He broke the world record for the youngest player to score a hat trick in professional football, a record held for 30 years by Jimmy Greaves. Alan Shearer ended the 1987 - 1988 season with 3 goals in 5 matches.

Theo James Walcott was born on March 16, 1989, is a professional English footballer, playing as a forward for Everton in the Premier League and the England national team. Walcott won the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award in 2006. He is a product of the Southampton Academy and began his career with this club before joining Arsenal for £5 million in 2006. His speed prompted manager Arsène Wenger to play him as a winger for most of his career. Walcott started as a central forward in the 2012-2013 season, where he was the club's top scorer.

On May 30, 2006, Walcott became the youngest player ever to play for England at the age of 17 years and 75 days. On September 6, 2008, he played in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra and in the next match against Croatia, he scored his first international goal and became the youngest player in history to score a hat-trick for England. He represented England at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016, earning 42 caps and scoring eight goals. England football prodigy Theo Walcott once spent time training at St Mary's Stadium. Walcott is the youngest player ever to play for Southampton at the age of 15 years and 175 days. Due to relegation in the 2004-2005 season, Walcott did not have the opportunity to play in the Premier League with The Saints. In total, Walcott played 21 games for Southampton and scored four goals before moving to Arsenal in the 2006-2007 season.

Gareth Frank Bale born on July 16, 1989, is a Welsh footballer currently playing as a winger for Tottenham Hotspur, on loan from Real Madrid, and is the captain of the Welsh national football team. Bale began his professional career at Southampton, playing as a left-back and being known as a free-kick specialist. Bale moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2007 for a fee of £7 million. During his time at Tottenham, changes in training methods and tactics turned him into a more attacking player. From the 2009-2010 season, under the leadership of Harry Redknapp, Bale became an integral part of the team, attracting international attention during the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League. In 2011 and 2013, he was honored as the PFA Player of the Year and made it into the UEFA Team of the Year. In 2013, he was also voted PFA Young Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, and Premier League Player of the Season. He was nominated for the PFA Team of the Year three years in a row from 2011 to 2013.

On September 1, 2013, Bale was transferred to Real Madrid for an undisclosed fee. The media at the time reported the transfer fee to be between €91 million and €100 million. In January 2016, leaked documents confirmed a world record transfer fee of €100.8 million, surpassing the previous record fee of £80 million (€94 million) paid by the club for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. Bale played an indispensable role in his first season at Real Madrid, helping the club win the Copa del Rey 2013-2014 and the UEFA Champions League, scoring in both finals. The following season, he won the UEFA Super Cup and scored in the final to help the club win the FIFA Club World Cup. Two years later, he was a key player in the Champions League 2015-2016 triumph and was named in UEFA's Team of the Season. He was also nominated for the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award and was honored as the Man of the Match when he scored in the UEFA Champions League final 2018.

Luke Shaw born on July 12, 1995, is an English footballer who plays as a left-back for Manchester United and the England national team. Shaw is a product of Southampton's football academy and made his first-team debut in January 2012. He signed a professional contract four months later. In March 2014, Shaw became the second-youngest player to reach 50 Premier League appearances, after Wayne Rooney. He moved to Manchester United in June 2014. On the international front, on March 5, 2014, he made his debut for the England national team in a friendly match against Denmark, which England won 1-0. Luke Shaw joined Southampton's football academy at the age of eight and was part of the U-18 Southampton squad from the age of 15. He made his first appearance on the first team's bench in September 2011 in a League Cup match against Preston North End, wearing the number 34 shirt. During the January 2012 transfer window, several Premier League clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City expressed interest in signing Shaw, but Southampton quickly rejected the offers, with manager Nigel Adkins stating that 'Luke Shaw features heavily in the club's future plans' and that the club 'had no intention of letting any of its young players leave.'

On January 28, 2012, at the age of 16, Luke Shaw made his official first-team debut for Southampton in an FA Cup match, coming on as a substitute for Jason Puncheon in the last 13 minutes of the match against Millwall, which ended in a 1-1 draw. At the end of the 2011-2012 season, Southampton returned to the Premier League after seven years in lower divisions, and Shaw became one of four young players the club offered official contracts to, along with Jack Stephens, Calum Chambers, and James Ward-Prowse. Luke Shaw became the world's most expensive teenage footballer when he transferred to Manchester United from Southampton. However, to date, the left-back has failed to live up to the expectations of the Red Devils' fans. At the age of 16, Shaw made his official first-team debut for Southampton in an FA Cup match. In March 2014, he became the youngest player to reach 50 appearances in the Premier League - second only to Wayne Rooney. In his final season with The Saints, Shaw was selected in the PFA Team of the Year at left-back.

Adam David Lallana sinh ngày 10 tháng 5 năm 1988, là một cầu thủ bóng đá chuyên nghiệp của Anh hiện đang chơi ở vị trí tiền vệ tấn công cho câu lạc bộ Brighton & Hove Albion F.C và đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Anh. Anh bắt đầu sự nghiệp khi còn trẻ với Bournemouth trước khi chuyển sang Southampton vào năm 2000, nơi anh trở thành một cầu thủ bóng đá chuyên nghiệp vào năm 2006. Sau khi một thời gian cho Bournemouth mượn, Lallana trở lại đội Southampton khi đội được lên hạng tham gia Giải bóng đá Ngoại hạng Anh và trở thành đội trưởng vào năm 2012. Lallana đã được tham gia đội tuyển quốc gia Anh thi đấu quốc tế vào năm 2013 và được chọn tham gia giải vô địch bóng đá thế giới 2014. Adam Lallana khởi nghiệp từ Trung tâm tài năng Bournemouth (Bournemouth Centre of Excellence), sau đó anh được các nhà tuyển trạch viên của Southampton đã phát hiện và gia nhập Viện đào tạo của The Saint năm 2000 khi mới 12 tuổi. Anh được đôn lên đội 1 năm 2006 nhưng lại được cho Bournemoth mượn vào năm 2007. Có vẻ ở đây mọi chuyện không được suôn sẻ lắm khi cả năm 2007 anh chỉ được ra sân 3 lần và được trả về Southampton ngay trong năm ấy. Trở lại Southampton, Lallana chỉ mất 1 năm để trở thành cầu thủ chính thức, và mất 4 năm để trở thành đội trưởng. Chính anh đã đóng công không nhỏ đưa Southampton từ giải hạng nhì (League One) lên hạng nhất (Championship) năm 2011 và lên Ngoại Hạng (Premier League) năm 2012. Anh là nhạc trưởng, là linh hồn của Southampton lúc ấy với lối chơi hoa mỹ nhưng không kém phần hiệu quả, mềm mại nhưng cũng rất tốc độ.

Tất cả những điều đó đã làm Rodgers và BLĐ Liverpool bỏ ra số tiền 25 triệu bảng để đưa anh về Anfield, trở thành cầu thủ đắt giá nhất hè năm ấy mà Liverpool mua về. Thật ra Brendan đã tính toán rất kĩ khi bỏ ra số tiền này: cầu thủ Anh, đá bóng tại Anh, chưa kể những thống kê mùa 13 - 14 cho thấy anh di chuyển rất nhiều trên sân, ngang với Henderson của mình. Tất cả những gì Rodgers cần ở một tiền vệ tấn công thì Lallana đều có, thông minh, kĩ thuật, khả năng xử lý phạm vi hẹp, cần mẫn. Đây sẽ là yếu tố rất quan trọng bởi Liverpool ưa dùng Pressing ở cường độ cao. Kể từ khi chuyển tới Liverpool, Lallana chủ yếu thi đấu ở hai vị trí tiền vệ chạy cánh và đôi khi là một tiền vệ con thoi trung tâm. Tuy nhiên, đây không phải là Southampton, nơi anh là đầu tầu, là nhạc trưởng, là nơi anh có thể xử lý bất kì cách nào anh muốn. Còn ở Liverpool, anh phải nhường khu vực giữa sân cho những Henderson, Coutinho, Lucas, phải thi đấu theo đúng chiến thuật mà Rodgers đưa ra. Không còn được chơi thứ bóng đá mình yêu thích, anh cũng chẳng còn những giây phút xuất thần như ngày xưa. Lallana bấy giờ giống như một cô công chúa rườm rà và yếu ớt. Nhưng cũng giống như khi trở về từ Bournemouth trong thất bại, anh không bao giờ bỏ cuộc hay có những phàn nàn về cách dùng người của HLV mà cố gắng tìm lại phong độ qua từng cơ hội ra sân, chẳng khác nào cách Brendan Rodgers loay hoay xử lý bài toán khó tại Anfield.

Morgan Schneiderlin born on November 8, 1989, is a professional French footballer who plays as a midfielder, currently playing for OGC Nice and the French national football team. Schneiderlin was born in Zellwiller. He began his football career with a local club RC Strasbourg before moving to England to join Southampton in June 2008. He made 260 appearances across all competitions for Southampton over 7 seasons, excelling in the Premier League environment. Schneiderlin joined Manchester United in July 2015. After representing France at U-16 level, he was promoted to the senior team and made his international debut in 2014 and later represented the French national team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin joined Southampton's academy in 2008 from Strasbourg. Schneiderlin made his club debut in a 2-1 victory over Cardiff City on August 9, 2008. At the end of the 2012-2013 season, Schneiderlin was recognized as the player with the most interceptions, blocks, and highest work rate in the Premier League. He became the best-organized midfielder in England. Schneiderlin received the double award of Player of the Year and Fans' Favorite Player in Southampton's squad at the end of the season. The French midfielder moved to Manchester United in 2015 but has since transferred to Everton.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain born on August 15, 1993, is an English professional footballer currently playing as a midfielder for Liverpool in the Premier League. He can play as a winger or central midfielder. After an impressive spell with Southampton in the 2010-2011 season, Chamberlain joined Arsenal in August 2011. Scoring 2 goals in his first 3 matches for the new club, Oxlade-Chamberlain became the youngest English player to score in UEFA Champions League history. He also regularly featured in the England U-21 squad. Chamberlain left Arsenal to join their rival Liverpool in August 2017. Oxlade-Chamberlain made his debut for the England national team on May 26, 2012, against Norway in a friendly match. He was then unexpectedly called up to the Three Lions squad for the 2012 UEFA European Championship, becoming the second youngest player to represent England at the continental level after Wayne Rooney. Chamberlain joined Southampton's academy at the age of seven. On March 2, 2010, he made his first-team debut for Southampton at 16 years and 199 days old, in a 5-0 win against Huddersfield Town, becoming the second youngest player in professional football history to play for Southampton after Theo Walcott.

On May 8, 2010, Chamberlain came on as a substitute in the 82nd minute for Jason Puncheon in the last game of the season against Southend United. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, Oxlade-Chamberlain made his debut against A.F.C. Bournemouth in the first round of the English League Cup. In this match, he scored his first goal and Southampton's second goal to secure a 2-0 victory. On August 20, 2010, two days after his 17th birthday, Oxlade-Chamberlain signed his first professional contract, a three-year deal. His debut in the tournament was a 2-0 defeat at home to Rochdale on September 4, 2010. His first goal in the tournament was in a 2-1 win against Oldham Athletic on October 23, 2010. He scored two more goals and provided an assist in a 4-0 win against Dagenham & Redbridge on November 2, 2010, voted as the man of the match for the first time. Oxlade-Chamberlain ended the season with 10 goals and was named in the Championship Team of the Year for the 2010-2011 season. He became a transfer target for many clubs in June, his father, Mark Chamberlain, stated his readiness for his son to join Arsenal 'as soon as possible' to 'continue his development.'

Nathaniel Edwin Clyne sinh ngày 5 tháng 4 năm 1991, là một cầu thủ bóng đá người Anh chơi ở vị trí hậu vệ phải cho câu lạc bộ Bournemouth nhưng thuộc biên chế Liverpool thuộc Giải bóng đá Ngoại hạng Anh và Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Anh. Anh bắt đầu sự nghiệp của mình tại Crystal Palace, thi đấu thường xuyên trong bốn mùa giải Championship trước khi chuyển tới Southampton, nơi anh đã chơi 3 mùa giải tại Premier League. Anh gia nhập Liverpool vào tháng 7 năm 2015 với mức phí 12,5 triệu bảng. Anh từng là thành viên đội tuyển U19 và U21 Anh. Clyne ra mắt đội tuyển quốc gia Anh vào tháng 11 năm 2014. Anh được gọi lên tuyển để chơi cho giải Euro 2016. Anh đã ra mắt Crystal Palace in trong chiến thắng 3 - 0 tại EFL Championship trước Barnsley tại Selhurst Park vào ngày 18 tháng 10 năm 2008. Anh ấy đã ký hợp đồng chuyên nghiệp ba năm với câu lạc bộ hai ngày sau đó, quản lý Neil Warnock nói rằng Clyne "có một tương lai tươi sáng".

Vào ngày 19 tháng 7 năm 2012, Clyne đã ký hợp đồng bốn năm với câu lạc bộ thuộc giải Ngoại hạng mới được lên hạng Southampton. Anh ra mắt vào ngày 19 tháng 8, trong trận thua 3 - 2 trước Manchester City tại Sân vận động Thành phố Manchester. Trận đấu đầu tiên của anh tại St Mary's diễn ra sáu ngày sau đó trong trận thua 0 - 2 trước Wigan Athletic. Anh đã ghi bàn thắng đầu tiên cho câu lạc bộ vào ngày 22 tháng 9, trong chiến thắng 4 - 1 trên sân nhà trước Aston Villa. Bàn thắng thứ hai của anh cho câu lạc bộ đến ở vòng ba Cúp FA trước Burnley vào ngày 4 tháng 1 năm 2014, mở ra một chiến thắng 4 - 3 tại sân nhà với một cú sút cách khung thành hơn 22 mét đánh bại thủ môn Tom Heaton. Clyne đã ghi bàn trong trận đấu đầu tiên của Southampton ở mùa giải 2014 - 2015 tuy thua 2 - 1 trước Liverpool trên sân Anfield vào ngày 17 tháng 8. Anh ấy đã ghi bàn thắng thứ hai vào ngày 23 tháng 9 giúp mang lại cho Southampton chiến thắng 2 - 1 trước Arsenal ở vòng ba League Cup. Vào ngày 24 tháng 11, anh ấy đã hoàn thành đường chuyền dài ở phút thứ 81 kiểu Ryan Bertrand để có được trận hòa 1 - 1 trước Aston Villa.

Calum Chambers was born on January 20, 1995, is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Arsenal Football Club and the England national team. Initially a member of Southampton's academy system, Chambers was promoted to the first team at the start of the 2012-2013 season. After two seasons with The Saints, he moved to Arsenal. Chambers joined Southampton's academy at the age of 7. At the beginning of the 2012-2013 season, Chambers was one of four young players promoted to the first team. Chambers made his official debut for Southampton on August 28, 2012, in a 4-1 victory over Stevenage in the second round of the League Cup, coming on as a substitute for Dean Hammond in the 84th minute and assisting Ben Reeves for the final goal of the match. On July 31, 2013, Chambers signed a new four-year contract with Southampton.

Calum Chambers is an English defender who joined Southampton at the age of 7, he went through the ranks at the club and was promoted to the first team at the start of the 2012-2013 season. Despite fierce competition for the right-back position with senior player Nathaniel Clyne, every time he stepped onto the field, this defender demonstrated all his qualities. His smooth transitions from defense to attack caught the eye of Arsenal, and Chambers moved to play for the Gunners in 2014. He made his Premier League debut on August 17, 2013, playing as a right-back in the opening match of the 2013-2014 season in a 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion. He made a total of 25 appearances for Southampton across all competitions, including 22 in the Premier League, before departing in the summer transfer window of 2014.

James Beattie was born on February 27, 1978, is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently one of the assistant managers of League One club, Wigan Athletic. He was previously part of Garry Monk's backroom staff, working with him at Birmingham City, Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Swansea City, and Sheffield Wednesday. Born in Lancaster, Lancashire, he progressed through the ranks at Blackburn Rovers, eventually signing his first professional contract with them in 1995. Beattie then went on to play for Southampton, Everton, Sheffield United, Stoke City, Rangers, and had a brief spell on loan at Blackpool, before returning to Sheffield United for a second stint. When he signed for Everton and during his first tenure at Sheffield United, he commanded the highest transfer fee ever paid for a player by each club at that time.

James Beattie joined Southampton in July 1998 for a fee of £1 million, as part of the deal to bring Kevin Davies to Ewood Park for £7 million. Beattie's initial impact was positive, helping him win the club's Player of the Season award as he helped the Saints avoid relegation. His second season was hampered by a series of injuries, but in November 2000, he began a prolific scoring run. After 18 months without a goal, he scored 10 goals in 10 matches, securing Southampton's safety in the Premier League for the following season. His form then deserted him once again, and he only managed two more goals for the remainder of the campaign. In the 2002-2003 season, Beattie scored 23 goals in the league, making him the third-highest scorer in the Premier League (and the top English scorer) for that season. His good form helped Southampton reach the FA Cup final in 2003, the first time since their victory in 1976. Southampton lost 1-0 to Arsenal, and Beattie had to settle for a runners-up medal. Eventually, he left Southampton in January 2005, joining Everton for a fee of £6 million.