A long-standing Nwankwo Kanu record is back in the spotlight ahead of the UEFA Champions League final, with Myles Lewis-Skelly moving within touching distance of matching the Nigerian icon’s teenage milestone.
The 19-year-old Arsenal defender-midfielder took another major step in his rapid rise after playing a key role in helping the club reach the Champions League final.
Myles-Lewis-Skelly. Photocredit: Getty Images
Lewis-Skelly’s latest appearance marked his third start in a Champions League semi-final while still a teenager, placing him among a remarkably exclusive group in the competition’s history.
Only two players have started more Champions League semi-final matches as teenagers than the Arsenal youngster former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Kanu, who both made four semi-final starts before turning 20.
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Kanu achieved the feat during his hugely successful spell with Ajax across the 1995 and 1996 campaigns, when the Dutch side dominated European football. The Nigerian forward played a prominent role in Ajax’s golden generation, helping the club win the Champions League in 1995 before reaching another final a year later.
Nwankwo Kanu. Photocredit: Getty Images
Now, nearly three decades later, Lewis-Skelly has emerged as the latest teenager threatening to join that elite company.
The Arsenal academy graduate started both legs of last season’s semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and featured again as the Gunners booked their place in this season’s final, taking his tally to three semi-final starts.
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However, despite edging closer to Kanu’s mark, the teenager is unlikely to surpass it. Lewis-Skelly turns 20 later this year, meaning the upcoming final represents his last opportunity to equal the record before aging out of the category.
For Kanu, the statistic serves as another reminder of the extraordinary level he reached as a teenager a standard that has remained untouched for almost 30 years.
