Youngest in the Champions League
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Watching the UEFA Champions League is one of the great joys as young players show their talent to the world. We honor the youngest players who have graced the best club competitions in Europe.
Champions League Statistics Handbook
Celestine Babayaro ( 16 years 87 days )
Steaua 1: 1 Anderlecht , November 23, 1994
The Nigerian left-back became the youngest player in UEFA Champions League history when he started for Anderlecht at Steaua in the 1994/95 group stage. However, his groundbreaking debut set more than one record as Babayaro became the youngest player in the competition to be sent off after 37 minutes. He moved to Chelsea in 1997, winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and FA Cup at Stamford Bridge.
Ryan Cherki (16 years 102 days)
Zenit 2: 0 Lyon, 27 November 2019
In the OL game in St. Petersburg, he spent 74 minutes, being an unused substitute three weeks earlier - when he could break Babayaro's record - Cherki made his Ligue 1 debut just a month ago. The striker has demonstrated his ability by scoring four goals in three rounds of the UEFA Youth League ahead of his promotion, scoring in this tournament at the age of 15 last September.
Alain Khalilovich (16 years 128 days)
Dynamo Zagreb 0: 2 PSG Saint-Germain, 24 October 2012
Dynamo were on their way to a home defeat at Pari as tramp Halilovich trotted on for the last five minutes of added time. The son of former Dynamo player Sead Halilovic, recognized as the brightest Croatian talent since Luka Modric, two weeks earlier became the youngest scorer in the history of Prva Liga. Still awaiting his breakthrough, the 24-year-old has just moved to Birmingham from the English second tier.
Yuri Tielemans (16 years 148 days)
Anderlecht - Olympiacos 0: 3 , October 2, 2013
Thielemans came to Anderlecht's attention at the age of five, and the midfielder quickly moved up the ranks before playing the full 90 minutes of home defeat to Belgian side Olympiacos in his UEFA Champions League debut. He was the club's captain until his 20th birthday and moved to Monaco in 2017, helping Belgium reach the semifinals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Came to Leicester City in 2019.
Haris Mavrias (16 years 242 days)
Panathinaikos 0: 0 Rubin Kazan , October 20, 2010
Panathinaikos turned to Mavrias as they were looking for a winner in the 12-minute group stage meeting with Rubin remaining in 2010. The midfielder did not make his dream debut, but later became the club's youngest scorer in Europe and their youngest derby scorer. against Olympiacos. Subsequently, Mavrias signed a contract with the Scottish team Hibernian and is now in Cyprus with Omonoia.
