The Champions League has always had a thing for prodigies. Every season throws up kids barely old enough to sit exams, let alone play in Europe.
The current record belongs to Youssoufa Moukoko, who made his debut in 2020 for Borussia Dortmund at just 16 years and 18 days.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal holds the record for the youngest starter, taking the field at 16 years and 68 days in 2023.
Enter Arsenal’s Max Dowman. The midfielder is only 15 and has already debuted in the Premier League. He’s now named in Arsenal’s Champions League squad.
Born December 31, 2009, Dowman has six chances before his birthday to break Moukoko’s record, and could even beat Yamal’s starting record if Arteta throws him in.
6. Youri Tielemans – 16 years, 148 days
Tielemans stepped onto the pitch for Anderlecht against Olympiacos in October 2013 and played all 90 minutes. At 16 years and 148 days, he looked ready from the outset.
The midfielder developed rapidly from there. He captained Anderlecht before turning 20, moved to Monaco and became a regular in Belgium’s national team.
A transfer to Leicester City followed, where he scored the winning goal in the 2021 FA Cup final — one of the club’s greatest-ever moments.
Tielemans has managed to sustain that level over the years, crafting out a top-class career at the highest level. The Belgium international could bring up 100 European appearances this season.
5. Alen Halilovic – 16 years, 128 days
Halilovic made his Champions League debut for Dinamo Zagreb in October 2012 against Paris Saint-Germain. At 16 years and 128 days, he became Croatia’s great new hope.
The hype was immense. Already the youngest scorer in his domestic league, he was dubbed the “Croatian Messi” and tipped as the heir to Luka Modric.
Barcelona signed him two years later, but the move never paid off. He spent the next few seasons drifting through loan spells in Spain, Italy and beyond without ever finding a permanent home.
That brief Champions League cameo remains the high point of a career that promised much more. He’s not likely to make it back to the big time while playing for Fortuna Sittard.
4. Rayan Cherki – 16 years, 102 days
Lyon handed Cherki his Champions League debut in November 2019 against Zenit, aged 16 years and 102 days. He had already been turning heads in the UEFA Youth League.
His flair was obvious from the start. Cherki scored four times in that Youth League campaign and had already made his Ligue 1 debut the month before.
Since then, he has remained one of the most eye-catching young players in France, leading to his big-money move to Man City in 2025.
Cherki’s debut didn’t rewrite the record books, but it added to the catalogue of talented players that Lyon’s academy has produced in the past decade.
3. Celestine Babayaro – 16 years, 86 days
Babayaro’s record-breaking debut came for Anderlecht against Steaua Bucharest in November 1994. At 16 years and 86 days, he became the youngest player in Champions League history.
The night didn’t exactly go to plan. He was sent off after just 37 minutes, making him both the youngest debutant and the youngest red card in the competition’s history.
It didn’t stop him from forging a strong career. Chelsea brought him to Stamford Bridge in 1997, and he won both the Cup Winners’ Cup and the FA Cup with the club.
Babayaro’s chaotic debut stood as the record for more than two decades.
2. Lamine Yamal – 16 years, 68 days
Yamal made his Champions League debut for Barcelona in September 2023 against Royal Antwerp. At 16 years and 68 days, he immediately slotted second on the all-time list.
Just a fortnight later, he went one better. Starting against Porto, he became the youngest player ever to begin a Champions League game at 16 years and 83 days.
That season also brought him records for Spain, where he became both their youngest player and scorer in the same night against Georgia.
For Dowman to eclipse this particular record, he needs to start for Arsenal before early March. With a matchday eight tie against Kairat Almaty looming, it isn’t completely out of the question.
1. Youssoufa Moukoko – 16 years, 18 days
Moukoko became the youngest player in Champions League history when he came off the bench for Borussia Dortmund against Zenit in December 2020, just 18 days after his 16th birthday.
By then, his reputation was already sky-high. He had scored goals for fun at youth level, played Under-19 football as a 13-year-old and trained with Dortmund’s first team long before he was eligible to appear.
Since that debut, he has shown glimpses of real quality in Germany, although injuries and competition for places have slowed his rise. At 20 he still has time to deliver on the hype.
For Dowman to break this record he only needs to get on the pitch before his 16th birthday at the end of December. That gives him six group games to smash Moukoko’s benchmark.
Moukoko’s place in history could soon be gone, but it took a remarkable talent to grab it in the first place. Dowman has the chance to go even further.
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