Hansi Flick breaks historic Champions League record held by Louis Van Gaal’s Ajax | OneFootball

Barcelona have endured a roller coaster of scenarios in the ongoing edition of the UEFA Champions League.

From going a man down in their first game of the season against Monaco and losing it to winning despite being reduced to ten men in their most recent game vs Benfica, the club have come a full circle and it is safe to say that the experience is invaluable.

What is ironic, however, is that Barcelona boast of one of the youngest teams in the event and a recent report by Mundo Deportivo brings the same to perspective.

A historic record

As relayed by the Spanish outlet, Barcelona have recorded 16 starts by players under the age of 18 this year – eight each of Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi.

That number, in itself, breaks a historic record which was held by Ajax as they recorded 15 starts of players under the age of 18 under Louis Van Gaal in 1995.

Hansi Flick fully trusts the youth at Barcelona. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

If the age bracket is further narrowed down to players aged 17 and below, Barcelona show further superiority as they have seen 15 starts with that criteria.

After all, all of Yamal’s starts have come aged 17 and below while Cubarsi turned 18 only for the team’s latest game against Benfica in Lisbon.

Interestingly, Barcelona even led in that statistic last season when they had 11 starts for players 17 or below. The next highest is only 10 starts for Borussia Dortmund in 2020/21.

Breaking the historic record only goes to show Flick’s trust in the young core and the fact that he prioritises priority over any face value. Needless to say, his trust has paid off great dividends so far for Barcelona.

Yamal and Cubarsi, in particular, are untouchable under the manager and will rack up more starts if the team progresses deep into the event.