The 10 youngest Champions League goalscorers in history

Playing in the UCL as a teenager is one thing, but scoring is another. Here, Ladbrokes looks through the 10 youngest Champions League goalscorers of all time.

From modern superstars like Lamine Yamal to heroes of yesteryear like Cesc Fabregas, this list features some truly iconic names - with every single player in the top ten clocking in at 17 years old.

So without further ado, let's dive into the 10 youngest players to ever score a Champions League goal, starting with Basel's home game against Ludogorets in 2014.

Breel Embolo made a huge impact as a youngster at Basel, making his debut at 16 years old before becoming the club's youngest ever Champions League goalscorer in 2014, with the striker finding the net aged 17 years and 263 days.

Embolo took a ball down on his chest before out-muscling the centre back, creating the space to roll his finish past the Ludogorets goalkeeper. These days, the Swiss marksman has found a home in Ligue 1's Monaco, with the 28-year-old still scoring in the Champions League 11 years after his first strike.

The only defender to feature in the top 10, Martin Klein opened his Champions League account all the way back in 2002, scoring for Spart Praha in a 2-1 defeat to Panathinaikos.

It was a simple goal, with Klein steering a header in of the far post following a well-delivered set piece, becoming the second-youngest UCL goalscorer ever at the time. His career never really took off, playing the majority of his football in smaller European leagues, but he did earn a solitary cap for Czech Republic in a 2009 friendly against Malta.

The first of three Barcelona players to feature in this list of the top 10 youngest Champions League goalscorers in history, Bokan Krkic scored the only goal as Barca beat Schalke 1-0 in April 2008, with the teenager tapping in from a couple of yards out.

Krkic was assisted by Premier League legend Thierry Henry, and he followed in the Frenchman's footsteps by forging his own PL career at Stoke City, when the Potters were at the peak of their powers. Five years in England preceded a couple of loans and uninspiring moves, before Bojan retired in 2023.

Level with Bojan at 17 years and 217 days, former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is the youngest player to score a Champions League goal while playing for a Premier League club, finding the net for the Gunners in a 5-1 thrashing of Rosenborg in 2004.

And it had all the typical quality of a Cesc Fabregas goal, with a clever bit of skill to flick the ball over a defender before controlling a volley into the far corner - with this the first of 16 UCL strikes for the Spaniard. He never won the competition, but with a World Cup trophy - which Spain are favourites to lift again - two Premier League winners medals and much, much more, we think he did alright.

Another technically gifted midfielder with a memorable Premier League career, Mateo Kovacic just misses out on the top five for his strike in 2011 - scoring at just two days younger than Fabregas.

Kovacic scored for Dinamo Zagreb, getting his side's only goal in a brutal 7-1 defeat to Lyon. The Croatian's career has been one to remember since then, playing for the likes of Real Madrid, Man City, Chelsea and this year's finalists Inter Milan. Kovacic has also won a remarkable number of trophies - including the Champions League - and has represented his country over 100 times.

Following on from those two iconic midfielders is Peter Ofori-Quaye, a less familiar name who scored for Olympiacos in a 5-1 defeat to Rosenborg in 1997, making him the UCL's youngest ever scorer at the time.

The forward controlled a cross with his back to goal, before swivelling and firing a strike into the bottom corner to produce a very tidy goal - but his career never quite reached the heights they might've done. He did manage to win the Greek title six years in a row, which takes some doing, but Ofari-Quaye's 24 league goals for Olympiacos across seven years were certainly the peak of his playing days.

Antonio Nusa's Champions League career couldn't have got off to a better start, with the 17-year-old scoring on his debut in a 4-0 win for Brugge away at former UCL winners Porto. His goal saw him race away from the Porto defence before finishing confidently into the far corner.

Now at RB Leipzig - and still only 20 years old - Nusa has made some promising progression in his career already, representing Norway 13 times and scoring four times for his country - including on his debut. He also has a couple of league titles to his name, winning the Belgian Pro League in 2022 and 2024 while still at Brugge.

When George Ilenikhena entered the pitch for Royal Antwerp against Barcelona in 2023, he could've been forgiven for being starstruck against the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal - but he only went and scored a stoppage-time winner to give the Belgian side a famous win.

Ilenikhena finished clinically in the 92nd minute to sink Barca, and moved to Monaco - where he is now a teammate of Breel Embolo - off the back of a strong campaign for Royal Antwerp. Still a teenager, the striker has plenty of time ahead of him to make a significant impact in the Champions League and add to his three goals in the competition.

The most recent addition to the list, Lamine Yamal's goal against Monaco in September 2024 was typical of the man, cutting inside onto his left foot before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the bottom corner.

Yamal is racking up records left, right, and centre, being the youngest player to score at the Euros, the youngest player to feature in the Champions League knockout stages, the youngest player to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or, and much, much more. He is already a world-renowned talent, has won trophies with club and country, and is firmly recognised as one of the world's very best - all before his 18th birthday.

Rounding off the list, we have yet another Barcelona player, with Ansu Fati bagging for Barca just over a month after his 17th birthday with a winning goal against Inter in 2019.

Once Barcelona's brightest spark, Ansu Fati has been plagued by injuries for the last couple of seasons, falling out of favour at the La Liga giants and suffering during a largely uninspiring loan spell at Brighton. Still only 22, the winger has the time to turn his fortunes around and realise his once sky-high potential - but a quiet few years has certainly seen him fall out of the limelight.

So there you have it - the 10 youngest goalscorers in Champions League history. Ladbrokes have also had a look at the youngest players to play in the Premier League, as well as the quickest Premier League goals of all time, so fill your boots.

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