The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has confirmed Nigerian-born youngster, George Osrzehmen Ilenikhena as the youngest African to reach 15 appearances in their elite club’s competition.
Sports247 gathered that Ilenikhena broke the record when he got off AS Monaco of France’s bench in place of Folarin Balogun; thereby shattering a mark that was previously held by Super Eagles’ legend, Nwankwo Kanu.
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Although Monaco lost the game 6-1 away to Real Madrid, Ilenikhena achieved a personal milestone, which has been rectified by UEFA, as the European football noted that he was 19 years and 157 days old when he played Tuesday’s match.
That beat Kanu’s previous mark of 19 years and 260 days, while also giving a second milestone to the former Amiens SC of France attacker, who earlier broke Kylian Mbappé’s feat as Monaco’s youngest player to score in the UCL.
It also marks a continuation of historic feats by the Nigerian-born youngster, who was born in Lagos on August 16, 2006, but moved to France with his parents when he was three years old and grew up in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine.
He grew through the French youth sector and started his professional career with Amiens, from where he moved to Royal Antwerp of Belgium in 2023, got his UCL debut and scored a 92nd minute winning goal against FC Barcelona.
Sports247 gathered further that Ilenikhena, who has Cristiano Ronaldo and Mbappé as his favourite players, first featured with France youth teams in the summer of 2021, when he was invited to their under-16 squad.
