In the second half of Poland‘s Euro 2020 Group E clash with Spain in Matchday 2, 17-year-old Kacper Kozlowski came on as a second half-substitute, thus making history not just in this edition, but in the competition’s entire lifetime.He has become theyoungest playerto ever featurein the UEFA European Championship, at just 17 years and 246 days.
Kozlowski broke the recordjust six days after England‘s wunderkind Jude Bellingham hadoriginallyset it.During England’s opening match at Euro 2020, Bellinghamcame offthe bench in the dying minutes. He replaced Harry Kane in the 82nd minute of the 1-0 victory over Croatia in Matchday 1. When Bellingham broke the record, he was 17 years old and 345 days old.
Prior to the start of the UEFA European Championship 2020,Jetro Willems, who shined for the Netherlands in Euro 2012,was the all-time youngest player in the European Championship at the age of18 years and 71 days. It took 28 years for someone to smash Enzo Scifo’s record of18 years and 115 days fromhis appearance in Euro1984 for Belgium.
Six other youngest players at UEFA European Championship 2020
Kacper Kozlowski (left) of Poland in action. (Getty)
It might not take much for another player to breakKacper Kozłowski’s record considering the fact that the Euros certainly serveas a window to highlight the value and focus for the next generation of players around Europe. However, until the nextEuropean Championship in 2024, his accomplishment is very safe.
ThePogon Szczecin midfielder and theBorussia Dortmund rising star are the only two 2003-bornplayers who have been called up for this summer’s edition of the UEFA Euro, meaning no other player can now step up and takeKozłowski’s crown away. The Polish history maker was born on October 16, while Jude Bellingham, who was born on June 29,is exactly 109 days older than him. Let’s take a look at theother youngest players at UEFA European Championship 2020.
1. Pedri (Spain)
Pedri of Spain. (Getty)
In just one season, the Barcelona kid has climbed through the ranks in Spain, bringing his extraordinary potential to the attention of the whole football world. Luis Enrique granted him his international debut in March after Pedri had played more games for Barcelona than any other player this season, and the Spanish coach has intimated that he’s more than simply filling in the numbers in this tournament. Hewas likened to Barcelona star Andres Iniesta for his playing style, and he justifiably earned a berth in Luis Enrique’s Spain squad.
2. Georgiy Sudakov (Ukraine)
Georgiy Sudakov of Shakhtar Donetsk and Ukraine (right). (Getty)
Sudakov is a product ofShakhtar Donetsk‘s academy that has produced many other Ukrainian stars in history. After going through the academy levels, the midfielder finally debuted for the senior side in 2020, against no other thanReal Madrid in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League. Under well-established national legend and current national team coachAndriy Shevchenko, Sudakov debutedfor Ukraine in an International Friendlyagainst Bahrain in May 2021.
3. Illya Zabarnyi(Ukraine)
Illya Zabarnyi of Ukraine (left). (Getty)
Illya Zabarnyi, who made hisdebut for Dynamo Kyiv last September before getting his debut in theUkraine senior team a month later, had busy 12 months.For a Dynamo Kyiv side that won the Ukrainian league and gave away the least number of goals than any other side (15), the 18-year old played a vital part. Zabarnyi had also featured in all of Dynamo’s Champions League and Europa League matches.
4. Nuno Mendes (Portugal)
Nuno Mendes of Portugal. (Getty)
Portugal are one of the favorites, and it’s easy to see why considering the strength of their team. The fact thatNuno Mendes is not their first option for the left-back speaks much about Fernando Santos’ talent. During the 2019/20 season at Sporting, the youngster continued his breakout byyoungster established himself as first-choice and beginning all but five league games, eventually winning the Portuguese league. The 18-year-old can make a deadly cross by the left flank, which could easily result in some towering headers from Cristiano Ronaldo.
5. Adam Hlozek (Czech Republic)
Adam Hlozek of the Czech Republic. (Getty)
Adam Hlozek is unlikely to push Patrik Schick outof the Czech Republic starting line-up, but the 18-year-old is coming off a fantastic domestic season for Sparta Prague. He scored 15 goals in 19 league games last season – no player scored more in the Czech top division – 10 of them came in his final six games of the season. He has the physical presence to cause all kinds of issues, standing just under 6 ft 2 in.
6. Jamal Musiala (Germany)
Jamal Musiala of Germany. (Getty)
The loss of England is in fact a benefit forGermany. England is loaded with talented young attackers, but the choice of Jamal Musiala to represent Germany was a big blow for the Three Lions. Even when Thomas Muller came back this summer, Joachim Low’s youngster might still prove to be acrucial weapon. His average stats of 4.5 dribbles for 90 minutes for Bayern was above the number of any other Bundesliga playerduring the season.
