Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has urged 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha to remain focused after the teenager scored a stunning 100th-minute winner against Newcastle United on bank holiday Monday, marking a dream Premier League debut.
Ngumoha, who will turn 17 this week, was brought on alongside Harvey Elliott after the fourth official indicated 11 minutes of stoppage time at St James’ Park.
Less than five minutes after stepping onto the pitch, the winger latched onto a perfectly timed pass from Mohamed Salah, following a clever dummy from Dominik Szoboszlai, and calmly slotted the ball past Nick Pope to secure the victory for the Premier League champions.
The late winner proved decisive after Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike had opened the scoring for Liverpool, only for Bruno Guimaraes and Will Osula to pull Newcastle level in the second half.
Speaking after the match, Virgil van Dijk was full of praise for the teenager’s composure under pressure and offered two words of advice.
“Stay humble.”
The Liverpool captain highlighted the significance of his achievement while encouraging him to use it as motivation for further development.
“Sixteen years old. Incredible. I’m very happy for him. It should motivate him even more to keep working each and every day and stay humble. He is in a good environment to progress. He has to look after himself and he has to learn from all of us, playing for so many years at the highest level, and take it on board and progress. That is a good target for him.
I think if you make your Premier League debut at 16, scoring the winner, then that is a great sign of quality and being a special talent. But I also know you have to take it game by game. He has to keep working hard, make sure he is staying fit, progressing, take experience, and look at what others are doing and learn from that as well.”
Ngumoha, who joined the Reds from Chelsea just over a year ago, has been on a scholarship but will be eligible to sign his first professional contract on his 17th birthday. Now training alongside the senior team, the teenager is gaining invaluable experience, with the club actively clearing a pathway for his development after the sales of Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez.
The Dutch centre-back also stressed that mental resilience is just as important as talent for a young player trying to make it at the highest level.
“It starts with mentality, of course. You have to have the right mindset. Nowadays, if you are a football player of the highest level, it takes much more than just playing on the pitch. You have to deal with a lot of things off the pitch as well. Mentally, physically, there are a lot of games. But it is a good start from him. He has to have the motivation to keep working, and hopefully he will have a fantastic career.”
The young prodigy’s late winner not only secured victory for Liverpool, but also marked the arrival of a highly promising talent who, with guidance from leaders like van Dijk, could play a pivotal role in the Reds’ future and season ahead.
