Arsenal Kid Luis Munoz Becomes Youngest Ever in UEFA Youth League After Late Cameo vs Bayern

Arsenal’s 13-year-old midfielder Luis Munoz made history on Wednesday afternoon, coming off the bench against Bayern Munich to become the youngest player ever to appear in the UEFA Youth League. The teenager — barely — came on in the 85th minute of a 4–2 win for the Gunners’ under-19s, breaking a record that’s stood only a year.

Munoz, born in December 2011 and still a month shy of his 14th birthday, replaced a forward for the closing stages as Arsenal looked to see out the game. At 13 years, 11 months and 15 days, he nudges past Gibraltar’s Liam Payas, who was 14 years and three months when he played for Lincoln Red Imps last season.

It capped off a big week for the youngster, who also helped Arsenal’s under-16s win the Premier League U16 National Finals earlier this month. He usually plays in midfield, but was thrown on higher up the pitch this time — part necessity, part chance to give him a taste of the stage.

The match itself had plenty for Arsenal to shout about. Max Dowman, just 15 and already with a Premier League debut under his belt, scored twice and continues to look like the next big thing out of Hale End. Dowman isn’t exactly old himself — he was 14 years and eight months when he first featured in this same competition — but even he looked like a senior pro compared to Munoz.

Emerson Nwaneri, younger brother of first-team midfielder Ethan, also came off the bench. Arsenal went with a youthful group overall, partly because their qualification hopes was already hanging by a thread after four defeats in their opening five games. With progression unlikely, the club chose to give more of their prospects a run-out.

Even if Arsenal’s UYL campaign is set to end early, the night will be remembered for Munoz’s milestone. A kid who should really be worrying about homework instead of Bayern Munich is now in the UEFA record books — and the Gunners will hope it’s the first of many chapters.