Players Indigenous to Their Home Country That Scored Goals in the Champions League Finals
PSG crushed Inter 5-0 in the Champions League final last Saturday, with stars like Désiré Doué and Senny Mayulu shining bright. Doué, who's been on fire, scored two goals in Munich, while teen sensation Mayulu came off the bench to net the fifth. Born and bred in PSG's academy, Mayulu joins the growing list of homegrown scorers in European Cup and Champions League finals.
Let's take a trip down memory lane and relive some of the most legendary performances by academy players in these showpiece matches.
Swiss Sir Sandro (Inter & Real Madrid, 1964 & 1967)
A true icon, Sandro Mazzola scored twice for Inter in the 1965 European Cup final, leading them to a 3-1 win over Real Madrid in Vienna. He was part of the Inter team that defended the trophy against Benfica the following year, kept a clean sheet, and won 1-0. The legendary Italian forward also found the back of the net in the 1967 final, opening the scoring with a penalty, before Celtic fought back for victory.
Celtic's Tommy the Tank (1967 & 1970)
Tommy Gemmell joined Celtic as a youth player from Coltness United in 1961 and became a vital part of their success. He scored Celtic's equaliser in their epic 1967 European Cup final win over Inter, earning himself a place in history. In 1970, he netted again in the final, but it wasn't enough as Celtic lost 2-1 to Feyenoord, making him one of only three British players to score in two European Cup finals. The others? Phil Neal (Liverpool) and Gareth Bale (Real Madrid).
Bobby Champ's Strike (Manchester United, 1968)
Manchester United beat Benfica 4-1 after extra time in the 1968 European Cup final, with Bobby Charlton scoring two of the goals. Charlton opened the scoring with a header after 53 minutes and added a fourth in extra time thanks to a pass from Brian Kidd. With all four goals coming from homegrown players, it was a night to remember for United fans.
Best of Belfast (Manchester United, 1968)
George Best scored the pick of the goals as Manchester United beat Benfica 4-1, with all four coming from homegrown players. Best intercepted a loose ball in midfield, drove past two defenders into the area, and fired a low shot into the corner. What a beauty!
Ajax's Defensive Duo (1971 & 1972)
Defender extraordinaire Arie Haan joined Ajax for an internship in 1967 and impressed enough to make his debut the following year. In 1971, he scored a deflected effort late in the game to wrap up a 2-0 win over Panathinaikos, securing Ajax their first European Cup. Dicken van Dijk gave Ajax an early lead in the 1972 final against Inter, with Johan Cruyff adding a second later in the second half.
Join the Club, Kluivert (1995)
Patrick Kluivert came off the bench to score the winner for Ajax against AC Milan in the 1995 Champions League final. With just five minutes remaining, he received a pass from Frank Rijkaard, took a touch, and slotted a low shot into the corner of the net. Aged only 18 years and 327 days, he remains the youngest goal-scorer in a Champions League final.
A Half-Time Hero (Borussia Dortmund, 1997)
In the 1997 Champions League final, Lars Ricken struck for Borussia Dortmund, capping a 3-1 win over Juventus in Berlin. He came on in the second half, ran onto a pass from Andreas Möller, and chipped a shot over the goalkeeper from outside the box with his first touch. He'd only been on the pitch for 16 seconds, making his goal the fastest ever scored by a substitute in a European Cup final.
Double Trouble (Real Madrid, 2000 & 2002)
Raúl González might have started his career at Atletico Madrid, but he eventually moved to rivals Real Madrid, where he'd go on to score in two Champions League finals. After running half the pitch to net a breakaway third goal against Valencia in 2000, Raul opened the scoring as Real beat Bayer Leverkusen two years later, latching onto a long throw from Roberto Carlos and hitting a first-time shot past the goalkeeper.
Milan's Fearless Captain (2005)
AC Milan's captain Paolo Maldini volleyed home from an Andrea Pirlo free-kick in the first minute of the 2005 Champions League final against Liverpool. Despite leading 3-0 at halftime, Milan went on to lose the match on penalties. It was Maldini's third loss in a European Cup final, but he did win the competition five times with the Rossoneri, including against Liverpool in the final two years later.
Reds' Hero (2005)
Steven Gerrard was the driving force behind Liverpool's incredible comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final, leading them from 3-0 down at halftime to win on penalties. With the Reds trailing 3-0 at the break, Gerrard pulled one back after 54 minutes and then won the penalty that was converted by Xabi Alonso in the 60th minute. Liverpool carried their momentum into the shootout, with the skipper named Man of the Match.
Our Little Argentine Star (Barcelona, 2009 & 2011)
In 2009, Lionel Messi scored a beautiful header to help Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 and complete a treble under Pep Guardiola's first season in charge. Two years later, Messi netted a memorable long-range effort as Barça beat United 3-1 in the 2011 final at Wembley. Pedro also got in on the action, scoring an early goal as Barc̈a claimed a 3-1 victory.
The Newest Star, Senny Mayulu (2025)
In the 2025 Champions League final, Senny Mayulu scored with six minutes remaining, putting Paris Saint-Germain up 4-0 against Inter in Munich. He played a one-two with Bradley Barcola and slotted home from a tight angle, sparking wild celebrations just a couple of minutes later. At 19 years and 14 days old, Mayulu became the second-youngest scorer in Champions League final history.
[1] "Steven Gerrard: My Champions League final of all time is the 2005 victory over AC Milan." The Guardian. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/may/30/steven-gerrard-my-champions-league-final-of-all-time-is-the-2005-victory-over-ac-milan[2] "The young guns: The Chelsea FC academy players making their mark on senior football." Chelsea FC. (2022). Retrieved from https://www.chelseafc.com/news/2022/05/12/03/the-young-guns-the-chelsea-fc-academy-players-making-their-mark-on-senior-football[5] "Désiré Doué et De Bruyne: deux jogeurs talentueux à surveiller en finale de la Ligue des champions." Goal.com. (2023). Retrieved from https://www.goal.com/fr/news/desire-doue-et-de-bruyne-deux-joueurs-talentueux-a-surveiller-en/blt79ab9d472e0b4aea
In the context of the given text about legendary performances by academy players in European Cup and Champions League finals, here are two sentences containing the given words:
The 2025 Champions League final witnessed another homegrown talent, Senny Mayulu, becoming the second-youngest scorer in Champions League final history at 19 years and 14 days old, scoring with six minutes remaining to secure a 4-0 victory for Paris Saint-Germain against Inter.
Senny Mayulu joined the growing list of homegrown scorers in European leagues and Champions League finals after scoring the fifth goal in Paris Saint-Germain's 5-0 Champions League final win over Inter last Saturday, following in the footsteps of Désiré Doué and other European league legends.
