‘Nigerian’ Ilenikhena breaks Mbappe record as youngest Champions League scorer for Monaco
At 18 years and 34 days, Nigeria-born Frenchman, George Ilenikhena became Monaco’s youngest ever scorer in the UEFA Champions League when he netted the winner in the Ligue 1’s 2-1 defeat of Barcelona in their opening group game at the Stade Louis II, Monaco.
Ilenikhena broke the record previously held by Kylian Mbappé, who was Monaco’s youngest scorer in the UEFA Champions League.
Mbappé became Monaco’s youngest UEFA Champions League scorer on February 21, 2017. He scored in a match against Manchester City at the age of 18 years and 63 days.
Ilenikhena is also the first player in the competition’s history to score against the same side in successive games but for different teams, having previously scored for Royal Antwerp in December 2023.
Ansu Fati holds the record as the UEFA Champions League’s youngest goalscorer.
The Spain forward was just 40 days past his 17th birthday when he hit the Matchday 6 winner for Barcelona at Inter in the 2019/20 group stage.
It surpassed the previous best by 154 days, set by Peter Ofori-Quaye in 1997 – five years before the Blaugrana forward was even born.
On Matchday 1 in 2024/25 Lamine Yamal became the second youngest player to score in the competition, the teenager finding the net with a fine strike for Barcelona in their defeat at Monaco.
