Real Madrid

José Rodríguez entered into the Real Madrid history books. The Castilla player made his Champions League debut against Ajax after coming onto the pitch in the 72nd minute to replace Kaká. The midfielder, who turns 18 on 16th December, has become the youngest player in the Whites’ history to play in Europe’s top competition, ahead of legends such as Raúl and Casillas.

In just six months, the career of José Rodríguez has taken a giant leap. During the summer he moved up from the under-18s A team to join Castilla. Mourinho gave him his first team debut in the first leg of the round of 32 cup match against Alcoyano. Last Saturday he made his league debut in the Bernabéu, coming on to the field in the closing stages of the Madrid derby. And now he has had his first minutes in the Champions League in the last match of the group stage.

The Factory’s midfielder is the first Real Madrid player in history to make his Champions League debut without having turned 18. Until now, Raúl held the record at 18 years and two months. Interestingly, his debut also came in a match against Ajax Amsterdam in September 1995. Casillas is the third in the running. The Real Madrid Captain debuted against Olympiakos on 15th September 1999, when he had been an adult for a little over three months.