Chelsea's Reggie Walsh makes history | OneFootball

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.