When Real Madrid announced that youngster Martin Odegaard has made it to their Champions League 25 man squad for the knockout stages, there was a sense of awe in the footballing ranks. Aged 16 years, the Norwegian would have been the youngest ever player to make a debut in this competition if Carlo Ancelloti had included him in his plans for game against Schalke.
However, with his age still below the below mentioned 3, the Norwegian could still make it to the top if Carlo Ancelloti includes him in his team to face Schalke in March.
Here are the top 3 youngest players to make a debut in this competition: –
Celestine Babayaro
Playing for the Anderlecht side way back in the group stages of 1994 competition against Steaua Bucharest, the left back – even after 21 years – holds the record to be the youngest player in the Europe’s elite competition. Starting the match right from the start, Babayaro was 16 years and 87 days old on that day.
However, give credit to the over-ambition or the weight of expectations on his shoulders, the Nigerian full back was sent off after just 37 minutes on the pitch. A mere glance at his career gives us the indication of epitome as the full back played later for Chelsea winning an FA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup in the process.
Alen Halilovic
Being dubbed as the heir of Luka Modric as both of them belong to Croatia, Alen Halilovic made his Champions League debut for Dinamo Zagreb in their all-important game against the French giants Paris Saint Germain. Being a member of a football family as his father also played for Dinamo Zagreb, the attacking midfielder made it to the ground as a result of a 90th minute substitution.
Needless to say, Paris Saint Germain won that match with a handsome lead of 2-0 however, in the 5 minutes that he managed to be on the pitch, the Croatian attacking midfielder gave his fans a clue of the robust talent that they had at their disposal.
Youri Telemans
Aged 16 years and 148 days when he made his debut for the Belgian side R.S.C Anderlecht, Youri made his debut in a 3-0 defeat to Olympiakos away from home. However, unlike some of the aforementioned players who failed to live up to the expectations, the Belgian is still 17 which means he has a lot to play.
Coming on as a substitute in that match, Youri was already compared with the likes of Alex Witsel, however, with his feet still on the ground, the Belgian says he still has a lot to prove in order to prove his mettle to the footballing world.
UEFA Champions League: Top 3 youngest players to make a debut
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