Barcelona's golden boy Ansu Fati scored against Inter in the final minutes to win the game for the Catalans. By doing so, he became the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history, aged just 17 years and 40 days. In the process, Fati broke a record previously held by Peter Ofori-Quaye, who scored for Olympiacos aged 17 years and 194 days in 1997. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the 5 youngest Champions League scorers.
1. Ansu Fati (Barcelona) - 17 years 40 days
Match: Inter Milan 1-2 Barcelona
Date: 10th December 2019
2019 has been a historic year for Ansu Fati. At 16, he had his first start for Barca in September. He scored & assisted in that game against Osasuna, becoming the youngest player in La Liga to do so. He’s now 17 & scores in the CL against Inter, becoming the youngest scorer in the competition’s history. Fati was substituted for Barcelona in the 85th minute. Just a minute later, he scored the decisive goal of the game after a quick one-two with Luis Suarez. This was Ansu's 3rd goal of the season in all competitions and is quickly marking his name in-game as well as becoming one of Barcelona's next big names.
2. Peter Ofori-Quaye (Olympiacos) - 17 years 195 days
Match: Rosenborg 5:1 Olympiacos
Date: 1st October 1997
The Ghanaian forward is now second in the list of youngest goalscorers in the Champions League. He scored in Olympiacos' 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Rosenborg. He scored Olympiacos' consolation goal but he made it to the history books with the striker as he became the youngest goalscorer in the UCL history. Regarded as a bright prospect upon his arrival in Greece, Peter would make little impact in Europe. He won six successive league trophies with Olympiacos before leaving in 2003. He earned 32 caps for Ghana and also featured at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations.
3. Mateo Kovacic (Dinamo Zagreb) - 17 years 216 days
Match: Dinamo 1-7 Lyon
Date: 7th December 2011
Dinamo Zagreb recognized Kovacic's talent and gave him a starting spot in their Champions League game against Lyon. He opened the scoring and became the second-youngest Champions League scorer at that time. The game ultimately ended in a 7-1 defeat of Dinamo Zagreb. But the result didn't harm the Croatian midfielder's progress as he went on to become Zagreb's youngest ever captain. He then joined Inter Milan in 2013 and after two seasons, he joined Real Madrid. He permanently signed for Chelsea this season after a successful loan spell at the London club.
4. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) - 17 years 218 days
Match: Arsenal 5-1 Rosenborg
Date: 7th December 2004
A graduate of the famed La Masia, Fabregas joined Arsenal in 2003. He made his debut at Arsenal at the age of 16. He became the club's youngest ever player. He also made his mark in Europe when he scored in Arsenal's 5-1 win over Rosenborg and became the club's youngest goalscorer in the Champions League. Despite winning the World Cup and two Euros, he never won the Champions League. He came close to winning in 2006 when Arsenal lost against Barcelona in the final. After leaving Arsenal in 2011, he had successful stints with Barcelona (2011-2014) & Chelsea (2014-2019). He joined Monaco in January 2019.
5. Bojan Krkic (Barcelona) - 17 years 218 days
Match: Schalke 0-1 Barcelona
Date: 1st April 2008
Former Barcelona forward, Bojan went into the record books when he scored against Schalke in Barcelona's 1-0 win in the 1st leg of UCL QFs. He made his debut for Barcelona against Osasuna in 2007 and broke Messi's record of the youngest Barca player to feature in La Liga. Three days later, he made his Champions League debut against Lyon. He was, at that time, Barcelona's youngest player to ever feature in a UCL game. His goal against Schalke in the Quarter-finals made him the first person born in the 1990s to score in the UCL and also the third-youngest player behind Peter Ofori-Quaye & Cesc Fabregas. He won the Champions League twice with Barcelona but his career never quite hit the heights as projected. He's currently plying his trade in the MLS for Montreal Impact.
