CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Who is the youngest player to score a Champions League goal?
The Champions League is back and already some of the world’s best youngsters are eyeing to leave their mark in the competition.
At eighteen years-old, Real Madrid’s new Brazilian forward Endrick scored a goal against German side Stuttgart, leaving fans to wonder if he was the youngest player to score in the competition. Unfortunately for Los Blancos fans, that record still belongs to Barcelona’s forward Ansu Fati.
The Spaniard at 17 years and 40 days scored against Inter Milan keeper Handanovic from distance, making him the youngest player ever to score in the competition. The previous youngest goal scorer in the Champions League was Peter Ofori-Quaye, who scored for Olympiacos when 17 years and 195 days old. George Ilenikhena, who coincidentally scored for Antwerp against Barcelona at the age of 17 years, 119 days, overtook Ofori-Quaye in second place.
Where does Endrick lay on the youngest players to score in the Champions League?
The top young players to score in the Champions League are all under the age of 18. Unfortunately for the Madrid player, he barely cracks the top 20 at 18, just beating Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Here is the list of the youngest players to score in a Champions League game.
On the other hand, Ansu Fati is not the youngest scorer in the tournament’s history. Before UEFA changed the name to Champions League, we had the European Cup, and the honor goes to Włodzimierz Lubański of Polish club Górnik Zabrze, who was just 16 years and 258 days old when he notched against FK Dukla Prague on 13 November 1963 in the first leg of the first round of the tournament. Górnik Zabrzewon 2-0 that night, but crashed out in the second leg, losing 4-1.
‘Włodek’ went on to become the Poland national team’s second all-time highest goal scorer with 48, behind only Robert Lewandowski.