On Thursday, Chelsea booked their place in the UEFA Conference League final with a 1–0 win over Djurgarden at Stamford Bridge, sealing a dominant 5–1 aggregate victory.
The night was particularly memorable as head coach Enzo Maresca handed a surprise start to highly rated teenager Reggie Walsh in the second leg of the semi-final.
It proved to be a historic occasion for the 16-year-old, who became the youngest player ever to start a European match for Chelsea.
Walsh is now the third-youngest player to start a competitive fixture for the club, behind only Ian Hamilton and Kingsley Whiffen.
He also made history as the youngest English player to start in a European club competition, beating the previous record held by Jake Bidwell, who started for Everton in a Europa League match against BATE Borisov in 2009 while still part of the club’s academy.
The only other English players to start a European match at the age of 16 are Oliver Scarles, who featured for West Ham in a Conference League fixture in 2022, and Steve Powell, who started for Derby County in a European Cup match all the way back in 1972.
????????????????????????????Youngest English player to start a European match:
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) May 8, 2025
16Y, 6M, 19D: ????REGGIE WALSH????
16Y, 8M, 27D: Jake Bidwell
16Y, 10M, 23D: Oliver Scarles
16Y, 11M, 25D: Steve Powell#CFC pic.twitter.com/GzoVg4Xgnr
