Abdul-Nasir Oluwatosin “Tosin” Adarabioyo at 19 years and 73 days on Tuesday became the youngest Manchester City player to start a Champions League game after featuring for the Citizens in the 1-1 draw with Celtic.
19 – Tosin Adarabioyo is the youngest Manchester City player to start a Champions League game for the club (19y 73d). Opportunity.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 6, 2016
Born on September 19, 1997, Adarabioyo is of Nigerian descent but has represented England at U16, U17, U18 and U19 levels.
He joined the club at the early age of five and progressed through the ranks at the Etihad, making his U18 debut for the club aged 14 and was captaining the U18s aged 16.
The tall lanky youngster is technically adept to playing a key number of positions at the back.
Adarabioyo first-team debut for City came in February against Chelsea in the FA Cup.
His first appearance in the Champions League was in the 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest in the play-off.
The youngster was given the nod to start on Tuesday with City already certain of a place in the last 16 behind Barcelona.
And he did pretty well in the encounter in which another Nigeria youngster, Kelechi Iheanacho, was on target.
Speaking after the match, Adarabioyo admitted it did not go as plan early for the home team but was happy to help them turn it around.
“A lot of things happened in those first 20 minutes,” he told MCFC TV.
“I don’t think we started the game very well but we started to get ourselves into the game which went our way, but we could only finish the game 1-1.”
On feeling the faith of Pep Guardiola allowing him to play out from the back, the teenager added: “Since the age of 13 or 14, the academy has been preparing me for this day.
“To prepare me to play in that certain way so I’m very thankful for the academy for doing that.”
Born in Manchester, the City rising star is younger brother to Fisayo Adarabioyo who plays as a striker for NAC Breda in the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands.
