© Imago
It was already obvious before midnight that Arijon Ibrahimović would not forget the night of 10/11 December 2024 in a hurry. The 18-year-old FC Bayern attacking midfielder made his Champions League debut in the away game against Shakhtar Donetsk, coming off the bench for Thomas Müller in the 88th minute. Müller, of all people. The player with whom he has had a good relationship since his promotion to the FCB senior squad and who was once his role model as a youngster. What the two have in common is that they both prefer to play in the centre behind the main striker and both progressed through the German record champions' youth teams.
The celebrations continued for Ibrahimović after midnight: As the Nuremberg native also celebrated his 19th birthday at the banquet with his teammates, CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said in his speech: "I think someone who's particularly happy tonight is our Arijon Ibrahimović,. Not only is it his birthday today, but he was also given the gift of his first appearance in the Champions League." A birthday serenade from the banquet guests and the obligatory birthday cake after the 5-1 win against Shakhtar were of course a must.
The UCL debutant commented on his unforgettable evening on Instagram with the words: "A moment I've dreamed of since I was a kid - my Champions League debut! Thanks to my family, friends and the club for their support and trust. All the better that we crowned the evening with three important points!" Ibrahimović has been a Bayern fan since childhood and arrived at the FC Bayern Campus as a 12-year-old after playing for Greuther Fürth and 1. FC Nürnberg. "Of course, it wasn't easy to move to Munich on my own. But I really enjoyed my time at the Campus," said the Germany youth international, whose family comes from Kosovo, looking back. At the youth performance centre, he lived with his fellow Nuremberg natives Frans Krätzig and Luca Denk, among others, and also attended the boarding school with Paul Wanner.
Arijon Ibrahimović, who was involved in the fifth goal over Shakhtar celebrates with goalscorer Michael Olise. | © FC Bayern
Ibrahimović won't forget the eve of his 19th birthday at Schalke in a hurry - just as he won't forget a training day in midsummer 2021. As a 15-year-old back then, he was allowed to train with the FC Bayern senior players at Säbener Straße for the first time and got up close and personal with idols such as Joshua Kimmich and Thomas Müller. At the time, the former FC Bayern U15 captain was already on the verge of making the leap from the U17s to the U19s as a 15-year-old. Now Ibrahimović's fledgling career, with four competitive appearances for Bayern and a spell on loan at Frosinone Calcio in Italy's Serie A in the 2023/24 season has peaked against Shakhtar.
Aznou also makes UCL bow
The same applies to the path of Adam Aznou, who celebrated another highlight on Tuesday evening at Schalke. The Morocco international was also delighted to make his debut in Europe's premier club competition when he came off the bench alongside Ibrahimović for Konrad Laimer. "Since I was a child, it's been my dream to play a match in the Champions League, and now it's come true," commented Aznou. "After the match, my team-mates, the coaches, Max Eberl and Christoph Freund congratulated me. I've also made my family very happy. The atmosphere in the stadium was just perfect."
Aznou moved to the Campus from Barcelona's youth academy in the summer of 2022 and is currently making his mark there, including as U19 captain in the UEFA Youth League, in which the left-back has scored two goals and provided two assists in five appearances. At senior level, the 18-year-old has played six games for the FC Bayern reserves in the Regionalliga and made his professional debut on Bundesliga Matchday 9 against Union Berlin.
The 18-year-old Moroccan Adam Aznou made his Champions League debut against Shakhtar. | © Imago
Schweinsteiger, Lahm & Co. - and Ibrahimović and Aznou
Ibrahimović and Aznou join a high-calibre list of former Bayern youth players who made their Champions League debut in a Bayern shirt. They include Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Müller, David Alaba, Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlović, Holger Badstuber, Josip Stanišić, Paul Wanner, Frans Krätzig, Malik Tillman, Angelo Stiller, Joshua Zirkzee and Chris Richards.
All you need to know about the win against Shakhtar:
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