Porto's Pepe and Barca gem Lamine Yamal make Champions League history

21st February 2024 will forever go down in the history books of the Champions League. On the same day, FC Barcelona's Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to play in a knockout round, while Porto's Pepe was the oldest.

The Spain international achieved the milestone at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona against Napoli in the last 16. For his part, the Portuguese did so in the match that pitted the Dragons against Arsenal at Do Dragao.

The Barcelona striker, at 16 years and 223 days, surpassed Portuguese Rodrigo Ribeiro, who did it at 16 years and 315 days with Sporting Portugal against Manchester City in the 2021-22 season, in which he played two minutes.

 

February 21, 2024

Another record for Yamal, who could also break Ansu Fati's record as the youngest goalscorer in European competition. The player himself has already beaten the player from Bisau in the first matchday of the European competition, in Montjuic against Antwerp, a match in which he became the youngest Barcelona player to play in the Champions League, a milestone at 16 years and 68 days. Ansu Fati had already reached the milestone at 16 years and 321 days.

As for Porto's veteran Pepe, just five days shy of his 41st birthday, he set a new record at 40 years, 11 months and 26 days when he played in the clash against Arsenal. The experienced defender surpassed Ryan Giggs, who played in a Manchester United-Bayern Champions League quarter-final in 2013-14 at the age of 40 years and just over four months.

 

February 21, 2024