UEFA Champions League’s youngest ever goal scorers: Jude Bellingham on list but is Lamine Yamal next?

Despite being the main club competition in European football, there is never a shortage of young talent in the UEFA Champions League. This season is no different with players like Barcelona’s Yamine Lamal, from Antwerp George Ilenikhena and Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaire-Emery, all playing leading roles for their respective clubs. Unlike the latter, the former has not yet scored in the UCL and the French international just turned 18 a few days ago. We take a look back at some of the stars who have shown their precocious talent by scoring on the continental stage before the age limit of 18. Peter Ofori-Quaye (1997) and Martin Klein (2002) are two older names that may be missing from this list, but all names should be recognizable or at least be blasts from various pasts.

Jamal Musiala (17 years and 363 days)

Lazio 1-4 Bayern in 2021: About to enter the list with two days left is Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, when he scored in the 4-1 victory against SS Lazio at just 17 years and 363 days old. The German international has just turned 21, making it three years since the former England and Chelsea The youth star wrote his name in the Champions League history books.

Aaron Ramsey (17 years and 300 days)

Fenerbahce 2-5 Arsenal in 2008: More than 15 years ago, Arsenal witnessed Aaron Ramsey claim a piece of UCL history when he scored in a 5-2 rout of Fenerbahce. However, the Welsh international wasn’t even the youngest goalscorer in Gunners history, as Cesc Fabregas had beaten him to that title by 83 days.

Jude Bellingham (17 years and 289 days)

Dortmund 1-2 City in 2021: One of Jude Bellingham’s first football achievements throughout his career came in 2021, when he scored against city ​​of manchester at 17 years and 289 days at Borussia Dortmund. The English international is now shining with Real Madrid in the Champions League, but he could not prevent the German team from losing 2-1 to Pep Guardiola’s men.

Warren Zaire-Emery (17 years and 280 days)

Dortmund 1-1 PSG in 2023: Kylian Mbappé is the name of the French soccer superstar, but PSG fans are just as excited, if not more, for young midfield prodigy Warren Zaire-Emery. The midfielder, already a France international, just turned 18 a few days ago, but scored his first UCL goal in the group stage to secure a 1-1 draw at Dortmund that ensured the French giants advanced to the round of 16 For Zaire-Emery, although he surpassed Mbappé’s record as PSG’s youngest scorer in the Champions League, his French record lasted just over 30 minutes when Antwerp’s George Ilenikhena stepped in with a late goal to beat Barcelona and rewrite the history.

Breel Embolo (17 years and 263 days)

Basel 4-0 Ludogorets in 2014: In 2014-15, Breel Embolo was lighting up Europe with Basel and chose Bulgaria’s Ludogorets as his first continental victims. Now 27 years old and with AS Monaco after spells at Schalke 04 and Borussia Monchengladbach, the Cameroon-born Swiss international was just 17 years and 263 days old at the time.

Bojan Krkic (17 years and 217 days)

Schalke 0-1 Barcelona in 2008: Few have come close to emulating, let alone eclipsing, much of what Lionel Messi achieved when he burst into the Barcelona ranks, but there was one hot moment when it looked like that special talent could be Bojan Krkic. The only scorer in the 1-0 victory over Schalke 04 in 2008, at just 17 years and 217 days old, it looked like the former Spain international was going to conquer the world. Unfortunately, that never materialized and Bojan retired at the age of 32 after a spell with AS Roma. Stoke City, CF Montréal and Vissel Kobe. This album of his actually ended up being one of the biggest achievements of his career when it was supposed to be just the beginning.

Cesc Fábregas (17 years and 217 days)

Arsenal 5-1 Rosenborg in 2004: Another precocious talent from La Masia was Fábregas, who signed for Arsenal for his breakthrough and became part of the regular starting eleven at just 17 years old. His first goal in the Champions League came at the age of 17 years and 217 days (the same as Bojan) and the The Spanish international would go on to captain the Gunners and return to the Camp Nou years later, although he never won the UCL with any of their clubs.

Mateo Kovacic (17 years and 215 days)

Dinamo Zagreb 1-7 Lyon in 2011: Mateo Kovacic, who is not yet 30 years old and already plays for European champions Manchester City, burst onto the scene with Dinamo Zagreb and scored in the 7-1 thrashing of Olympique Lyonnais in 2011. At that time he was an academic, but the Austrian-born Croatian international is now a four-time Champions League winner, having won three with Real Madrid and one with Chelsea.

Antonio Nusa (17 years and 149 days)

Port 0-4 Club Bruges in 2022: Although Antonio Nusa evaded a Premier League move in the last winter transfer window, the Norway international remains one of the youngest goalscorers in Champions League history thanks to his efforts in the 4-0 thrashing of Porto two years ago. It wasn’t a record-breaking strike, but still being so high on the list at just 17 years and 149 days old is still very impressive.

George Ilenikhena (17 years and 119 days)

Antwerp 3-2 Barcelona in 2023: Barcelona have featured heavily on this list, but they have also conceded goals from some of the game’s brightest young talents and that happened again earlier this edition when Antwerp’s George Ilenikhena scored the late goal in the 3-win win. -2 with only 17 years and 119 days. Not only did it give him second place, but he set a French record just 30 minutes after Zaire-Emery thought he had done it for PSG in Dortmund.

Ansu Fati (17 years and 40 days)

Inter 1-2 Barcelona in 2019: Now with Brighton and Hove Albion after a series of injury problems, it was just five years ago that the Spain international was making waves as the youngest goalscorer of all time in the Champions League at the age of 17 years and 40 days in a 2-1 victory over Inter. It could prove to be Fati’s main legacy with the Catalan giants, but that doesn’t take away from the almost unprecedented, albeit short-lived, buzz the Spanish international generated for the post-Messi era.

UCL knockout goals

It is worth mentioning again three goals that not only came in the Champions League but also during the knockout stage, making them even more notable.

• Krkic (17 years and 217 days) Schalke 0-1 Barcelona in 2008.
• Bellingham (17 years and 289 days) Dortmund 1-2 City in 2021.
• Musiala (17 years and 363 days) Lazio 1-4 Bayern in 2021.

Lamine Yamal at 16 and 243 days?

Arguably the best candidate to surpass Fati’s incredible record is Barcelona’s latest prodigy, Lamine Yamal, who is just 16 years and 243 days old and enters the Blaugrana’s round of 16 second leg against Napoli. The talented winger will turn 17 in July, but he already has several records to his name, including being the youngest goalscorer in La Liga at 16 years and 45 days when he scored against Granada. Lamal already made his debut for Spain and surpassed Gavi’s record there, so a goal in this edition would mean a new record established just five years after the last one that took more than 20 years to arrive.