Cardiff's Anyadike, 15, sets new EFL Cup record as youngest player
Cardiff City's Noah Anyadike, 15, becomes the youngest player in EFL Cup history after starting their second-round defeat against Norwich City.
Noah Anyadike, a 15-year-old Welsh defender, set a new EFL Cup record as the youngest player to start a match when he made his debut for Cardiff City in a 2-1 defeat against Norwich City. Born 15 years after Cardiff City had moved to their current stadium, Anyadike's inclusion came after an injury crisis left the team without a senior center-back.
He broke the previous record set by Harvey Elliot in 2018, who was 15 years and 174 days old when he made his Fulham debut against Millwall. However, Anyadike had to leave the game due to a muscle cramp in the second half. Cardiff manager Brian Barry-Murphy praised the young player's talent and potential, stating that he was the best option for the game.
Anyadike is the third youngest player to represent Cardiff, following Rob Tankiewicz and Axel Donczew. While he is now the youngest player to start an EFL Cup match, the record for the youngest player in English Football League history still stands at 15 years and 45 days, held by Reuben Noble-Lazarus, who debuted for Rochdale in 2008.
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