Chelsea’s Zimbabwean teenager sets club’s new European record

By Agencies

Shumaira Mheuka has become the youngest player to start for Chelsea in a major European competition at 17 years and 137 days.

The young forward was named in the Blues’ starting XI for Thursday’s UEFA Conference League round of 16 first-leg encounter against FC Copenhagen.

In the process, he eclipsed the Stamford Bridge giants’ 24-year-old record aged 17 years 137 days to surpass Joel Kitamirike’s mark.

Born in Kampala, Uganda, Kitamirike held that record in a UEFA Cup match versus Hapoel Tel Aviv in October 2001 aged 17 years 196 days. Interestingly, that happened to be his only appearance for the club before an uninspiring career.

Prior to his record, Mheuka had made his European bow against FC Astana on December 12th, 2024. He was handed his Premier League debut in Chelsea’s 4-0 thumping of Southampton on February 25th, laying just for one minute after replacing Enzo Fernandez in the 90th minute.

Against the Danish side, the teenager played just for 45 minutes before he was substituted for Christopher Nkunku at half time. The Blues went onto win the game 2-1.

Born in Birmingham, England, Mheuka has moved quickly through the ranks of the Chelsea Academy since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of his Under-14s season.

During the 2023-24 campaign for the Blues’ U18 team, he scored 12 goals in his 20 appearances across all competitions, including his first Stamford Bridge appearance when he played in the U18 Premier League national final against Manchester United.

On the international scene, Mheuka was part of England squad to the summer’s European Under-17 Championship, scoring in their opener against Spain.

He marked his first call-up for the Under-19s with a goal against both France and the Netherlands in October 2024.

Regardless, he remains eligible to represent the Zimbabwe national team at senior level.

1 – At 17 years 137 days, Shumaira Mheuka is the youngest player to start for Chelsea in major European competition, surpassing Joel Kitamirike (17yrs 196d) against Hapoel Tel Aviv in the UEFA Cup in October 2001. Cub. pic.twitter.com/aTj2u0hFWy

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 6, 2025