Brazil sensation Vinicius Jr. landed himself among some Real Madrid greats after being named in the starting XI to feature in the UEFA Champions League against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday. Aged 18 years and 152 days, the former Flamengo starlet became the third youngest player to start a UEFA Champions League game. He is also the youngest non-Spanish player ever to feature in the starting line-up for Real Madrid in the competition.
Our squad for tonight's #RMUCL clash with @PFCCSKA_en! #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/pBHuknR7ep
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) December 12, 2018
With Real Madrid progressing to the knockout phase of the European tournament following their win over AS Roma on Matchday 5, Santiago Solari rotated his squad to accommodate some fringe players. Vinicius's inclusion meant that he has so far made eight first-team appearances since making his debut on September 29 in the Madrid derby.
The youngster has so far contributed two goals to Los Blancos' campaign and holds the potential to be a real breakthrough star with his consistent top performances. Regarding the milestone reached by the Brazilian, the legendary Raul Gonzalez still remains atop the list after he made his Champions League debut for Real Madrid at the age of 18 years and 77 days.
Former teammate Iker Casillas was also outdoored in European whiles only 18 years and 117 days old. The Spanish goalkeeper's debut was in a group stage fixture against Olympiakos on 15 September 1999.
