Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha etched his name into the club’s history books on Tuesday night by becoming the Reds’ youngest-ever player to feature in European competition.
The winger, aged just 17 years and 21 days, came off the bench in the 74th minute during Liverpool’s dramatic 3-2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Ngumoha’s appearance broke a record set only eight months ago by Trey Nyoni, who had overtaken a milestone that had previously stood for almost 33 years. The youngster made an immediate impression, helping fuel Liverpool’s late attacking push that earned the corner from which Virgil van Dijk scored the stoppage-time winner.
To mark the achievement, Ngumoha posted “UCL debut” on Instagram, alongside match photos. The post quickly drew support from teammates past and present, including Alexis Mac Allister, Conor Bradley, Curtis Jones, Hugo Ekitike, Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas, Oakley Cannonier, Ryan Gravenberch, Tyler Morton, Nyoni, and Van Dijk.
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Ngumoha makes Liverpool history early
The London-born forward joined Liverpool from Chelsea’s academy shortly after turning 16. Having started with the Under-18s before progressing to the Under-21s, he has quickly become a fixture in Arne Slot’s senior squad.
His breakthrough moment came last month at St. James’ Park, when, aged 16, he struck a 100th-minute winner in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory over Newcastle United.
Speaking after that match, Mohamed Salah offered advice to the rising star.
“He’s still so young. I told him after the (Newcastle) game: ‘Just leave the social media alone’. OK, you can be happy about the goal with your family, with your friends.
“Enjoy the moment to the max because it’s like your first moments in football. But don’t really get engaged and just get your appreciation from the outside world because it’s always going to be fake.
“You’re going to always try to seek that – that feeling from outside if you just get the appreciation from outside. So what future is waiting for him depends how he’s going to handle the situation. How are we going to work? I need to work hard and just stay humble because he’s very young.”
Ngumoha could now target his first start of the season in next Tuesday’s Carabao Cup third-round clash against Southampton, as Slot considers rotation.
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