Decoding the youngest goal-scorers in the UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is a platform for elite footballers to prove their mettle. So it is always heartening to see youngsters do well at the top. Similarly, FC Copenhagen's Roony Bardghji (17 years, 358 days) became the youngest player to score a UCL goal against Manchester United on matchday 4 of the 2023-24 season. Here we decode the youngest Champions League goal-scorers overall.
17 years 40 days: Ansu Fati (FC Barcelona)
Ansu Fati burst onto the scene in the 2019-20 season for Barcelona when he earned his first-team call-up at the age of 16. He soon made his UEFA Champions League debut, a month after completing his 17th birthday. In December 2019, he came on as a substitute against Inter Milan and barely took a minute to slam home the winning goal for the Catalans.
17 years 149 days: Antonio Nusa (Club Brugge)
Club Brugge youngster Antonio Nusa scored against FC Porto in his team's emphatic 4-0 win in the 2022-23 Champions League campaign. He couldn't break Fati's record but still, he became the second-youngest goal-scorer in the elite tournament. Currently, at 18, Nusa is making all the right noises at Brugge and has also received his first senior call-up for Norway this year.
17 years 194 days: Peter Ofori-Quaye (Olympiacos)
Ghanaian striker Peter Ofori-Quaye held the record for 22 years when he scored a goal for Olympiacos in their 5-1 defeat against Rosenborg in 1997. Although his team suffered a massive defeat, Ofori-Quaye's consolation goal was special as he became the youngest goal-scorer in UCL back then. Despite all his talent, Ofori-Quaye never really made it big in European football.
17 years 215 days: Mateo Kovacic (Dinamo Zagreb)
Dinamo Zagreb has gifted Europe with some of the greatest Croatian talents. One such name is Mateo Kovacic, who is considered one of the most technical footballers of this generation. Kovacic scored a consolation goal against Olympique Lyon in their humiliating 7-1 defeat in the 2011 Champions League campaign. Overall, Kovacic has won four Champions League titles (Real Madrid: 3, Chelsea: 1).
17 years 217 days: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Cesc Fabregas was one of the most underrated footballers of his generation. The Spaniard has featured for some of the top teams in Europe and has found a lot of success everywhere he went. He became a regular at Arsenal after turning 17. He scored his first UCL goal against Rosenborg in a 5-1 win (2004). Unfortunately, Fabregas never won the Champions League title.
