Who are the youngest players to have appeared in a UEFA Champions League final?
The statistics in this article cover the UEFA Champions League era only (1992-93 season onwards)
Participating in a UEFA Champions League final is often the pinnacle of a player's football journey, but for some, that moment came early on in their careers.
Youngest players in a UEFA Champions League final (1992-93 onwards)
Name | Nationality | Team | Season | Age (year) | Age (days) | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nwankwo Kanu | Nigeria | AFC Ajax | 1994/95 | 18 | 296 | AC Milan |
Kizito Musampa | Netherlands | AFC Ajax | 1995/96 | 18 | 307 | Juventus |
Patrick Kluivert | Netherlands | AFC Ajax | 1994/95 | 18 | 327 | AC Milan |
Kingsley Coman | France | Juventus | 2014/15 | 18 | 358 | FC Barcelona |
Iker Casillas | Spain | Real Madrid C.F. | 1999/00 | 19 | 4 | Valencia CF |
Cesc Fàbregas | Spain | Arsenal FC | 2005/06 | 19 | 13 | FC Barcelona |
Senny Mayulu | France | Paris Saint-Germain | 2024/25 | 19 | 14 | Inter Milan |
Clarence Seedorf | Netherlands | AFC Ajax | 1994/95 | 19 | 53 | AC Milan |
Warren Zaïre-Emery | France | Paris Saint-Germain | 2024/25 | 19 | 84 | Inter Milan |
Carlos Alberto | Brazil | FC Porto | 2003/04 | 19 | 167 | AS Monaco |
Myles Lewis-Skelly | England | Arsenal | 2025/26 | 19 | 246 | Paris Saint-Germain |
Désiré Doué | France | Paris Saint-Germain | 2024/25 | 19 | 362 | Inter Milan |
Data is current up to and including the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League final
To date, two-time African Player of the Year Nwankwo Kanu is the youngest player to participate in a UEFA Champions League final, coming on as a substitute in the 1994-95 final for Ajax at the age of 18 years and 296 days. An 18-year-old Patrick Kluivert also came on as a substitute in that game, a 1-0 victory for the Dutch side against AC Milan, making him the third youngest.
Four of the top 12 were Ajax players at the time, with three fairly recent entries on the list being Paris Saint-Germain trio Senny Mayulu, Warren Zaire-Emery and Désiré Doué, who each took the field against Inter Milan in the 2024/25 final. The latter two did so again a year later but both as 20-year-olds.
The eighth 19-year-old to make the list is Myles Lewis-Skelly, who started for Arsenal in the 2025-26 Champions League final between the Gunners and PSG. Whilst 162 days younger than Zaire-Emery at the time of the Frenchman's Champions League final debut, Lewis-Skelly was 116 days older than Doué, who turned 20 just three days after his first final appearance.
