Joshua UDOH enters FIFA CWC’s history books

Joshua UDOH, 17, recorded his name in the record books such as the youngest Nigerian player to appear in a FIFA Club World Cup match.

The teenage midfielder made his senior debut for the Eau al-Aen team in his 5-0 defeat against Juventus during the first round of the tournament, played in the early hours of Thursday (Nigerian time) in Audi Field.

The match ended in an integral victory for Juventus, with goals from Randal Kolo Muani (2), Francisco Conceptição (2) and Kenan Yıldız.

UDOH, who arrived as a late substitute in the 90+2 minutes, was only 17 years, 11 months and 14 days at the time of his appearance.

His appearance makes him the 11th most fair player in the history of the Club World Cup, just behind Jamal Musiala in Germany, which appeared in the competition at 17 years, 11 months and 13 days.

UDOH, a product of the Al-ANA Academy, was promoted to the Senior team before the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup, which had never appeared in the first team before the tournament.

He joined the team by Nigerian companions Hassan Sani Mohammed, also graduated from the Academy, and Rilwanu Sarki.

Both Sani and Sarki were included in the tournament team, but did not appear in the initial match against Juventus.

AL-ANA will continue his Club World Cup campaign against Manchester City, and there is a growing anticipation that UDOH can earn more minutes, since Emirati’s team seeks to recover from his open-opening loss.