Who is the youngest player in Champions League history? Max Dowman could set UCL record held by Dortmund kid

As clubs pour an increased amount of financial wealth into player development, hoping to strike gold with young players who count as homegrown talent, the age at which young stars become ready for competitive action seems to decrease every year.

Yet still, stepping on the field in UEFA Champions League play requires players to be ready for the toughest club competition in the world, often leaving youngsters to develop further before they are trusted with a spot on the field.

This is what makes Arsenal starlet Max Dowman so special. After becoming the second-youngest player to see time in a Premier League match earlier this season, the 15-year-old has the chance to make an even greater mark on the Champions League, poised to potentially set a competition record that would be exceedingly difficult to break.

The Sporting News details what Dowman has to do to become the youngest player in Champions League history, and where he would stand in the competition’s legendary archives of youth.

MORE: Lineups, team news, and injury latest for Arsenal as they meet Athletic Club in the Champions League

Youngest players in Champions League history

The youngest player in Champions League history is Youssoufa Moukoko, who came in for 32 substitute minutes off the Borussia Dortmund bench as they defeated Zenit St. Petersburg 2-1 in a group stage match.

Moukoko’s appearance, which came just 18 days after his 16th birthday, broke a record that had been held for 26 years, snapping the mark held by Celestine Babayaro of Anderlecht back in 1994.

Only two individuals have breached Babayaro’s benchmark, as Lamine Yamal missed Moukoko’s record by 50 days when he made his Barcelona debut in 2023.

Data via UEFA Champions League.

Will Max Dowman become the youngest Champions League player?

Arsenal youngster Max Dowman has been included in the squad to face Athletic Club in their first Champions League match of the season.

Should he enter for Arsenal in any of their first six league phase matches of the 2025/26 season, he would become the first 15-year-old to ever appear in a Champions League match.

As he turns 16 on December 31, he would set the record for youngest Champions League player with any appearance before then. Arsenal’s seventh league phase fixture falls on January 20, 2026, at which point Dowman would be 16 years, 20 days old and would be two days shy of Moukoko’s mark.

The table below shows how old Max Dowman would be should he make his debut in any of Arsenal’s league phase fixtures this season.

Youngest player to win a Champions League title

The record for youngest player to win a Champions League title was set in 1962 and still has yet to be broken. Antonio Simoes of Benfica was tabbed as the youngest ever, lifting the European Cup with Benfica, who won for the second time.

The title-winning 1994/95 Ajax squad was memorable for a number of reasons, but one of its hallmarks was its youth. That year, three players made their mark on the competition as five of the youngest ever to lift the trophy, with the memorable trio of Nwankwo Kanu, Patrick Kluivert and Clarance Seedorf etched into Champions League history.

Also on the list is Iker Casillas, who in 2000 helped Real Madrid win the Champions League title just four days after his 19th birthday, kicking off one of the greatest goalkeeping careers the game has ever seen.