Around 50,000 FC Koln fans were in attendance on Wednesday night to watch the club's Under-19 side take on Inter in the UEFA Youth League. The senior side are currently enduring a tough season in the Bundesliga but supporters have shown their appetite for the game by selling out the RheinEnergieStadion to watch the next generation in action against Serie A giants Inter.
Barcelona wonderkid Sama Nomoko has been ruled out for 12 months after a devastating injury blow. The 17-year-old winger suffered the setback during a UEFA Youth League match against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Estadi Johan Cruyff last week.
Arsenal sensation Max Dowman has caught the eye yet again with a sensational effort for the Gunners in a big UEFA Youth League win over Bavarian giants Bayern Munich. The 15-year-old brought back memories of club legend Mesut Ozil with a brilliant solo goal to help seal a 4-2 victory for the north Londoners on Wednesday at Mangata Developments Stadium.
Chelsea's trip to Qarabag for their midweek Champions League tie was marred by a racist incident. The abuse took place during the Youth League meeting between the two sides on Wednesday as the young Blues eased to a 5-0 win. Eyewitnesses have claimed that they saw and heard monkey gestures as Chelsea opened the scoring in the 57th minute and celebrated in close proximity to a section of fans.
Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman scored twice in Europe for the Under-19s as the junior Gunners succumbed to a 4-3 loss at the hands of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in the UEFA Youth League. At just 15 years of age, Dowman is considered one of the brightest prospects in Europe and has already started to play under Mikel Arteta with the senior squad this season.
Since the Conference League's inception in 2021, three teams have lifted the trophy: Roma, West Ham United, and the current champions, Olympiacos.
How many teams are in the Conference League?
The newest format, introduced ahead of the 2024-25 season, features 36 teams, four more than in the previous format.
Who has made the most Conference League appearances ever?
Mainz 05 midfielder Hong Hyun-seok and Gent captain Sven Kums have made 39 appearances each in the Conference League, making them the players with the most appearances in the competition.
Who is the all-time top scorer of the Conference League?
As for top goalscorers, Arthur Cabral leads the list with 21 goals to his name, including those scored in the qualifying phase. However, without taking into account goals scored in the qualifying phase, three players have scored the joint-most goals in Conference League with 12 each to their names: Arthur Cabral, Eran Zahavi, and Vangelis Pavlidis.
Who has the most assists in the history of the Conference League?
Darian Males, Gavriel Kanichowsky, and Cristiano Biraghi have the most assists in Conference League history, registering eight assists each.
Who is the oldest player ever in the Conference League and how old was he?
Veteran Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina, while playing for Villarreal in 2023, became the oldest player to feature in the Conference League at 40 years and 175 days.
Who is the youngest player ever in the Conference League and how old was he?
Lille wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi holds the record as the Conference League's youngest-ever player at the tender age of 16 years and 3 days.
Which famous players have played in the Conference League?
Stars such as Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Tammy Abraham, Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins,Co Mario Gotze, Kasper Schmeichel, Cody Gakpo, Stephan El Shaarawy, James Maddison, Jonathan David, and Edin Dzeko have played in the Conference League.
Which famous managers have managed in the Conference League?
Manuel Pellegrini, Jose Mourinho, Unai Emery, David Moyes, and Ange Postecoglou are among the most famous managers to have managed in the Conference League.