Jude Bellingham record broken by Championship star after six years

Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga has taken a piece of EFL history from the one and only Jude Bellingham.

The 16-year-old became the Foxes youngest-ever starter midweek in a Carabao Cup defeat, and now he’s the Championship’s youngest-ever scorer.

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Getty

The Coventry-born winger netted in a 2-1 defeat to Preston on Saturday, doing so at the age of 16 years, 1 month and 6 days.

That tops Bellingham’s previous record of 16 years, 2 months, 2 days when he scored for boyhood club Birmingham against Stoke in 2019.

The Blues won 2-1 on that day, but unfortunately for Monga his goal was in a defeat for a troubled Leicester side.

The teen talent made seven substitute appearances for the Foxes as they were relegated from the Premier League last season.

New manager Marti Cifuentes is just as big a fan of Monga as his predecessors, and has also praised fellow 16-year-old Louis Page who he’s begun giving minutes to.

Speaking ahead of the Preston defeat, he said: “I’m a big believer in Jez, I’m a big believer in Louis, they are here because they are showing their quality.

“Now, my job is to make sure they are not just here to make their debut but to make sure they succeed in the long term.

“[Wednesday] was a scenario that was not easy because there was a little bit of pressure around him [Monga] around the yellow card and I think that he coped really well with that with his personality.

“We tried to protect him a little bit, that’s why we subbed him. In my eyes, he was doing a good job but we want him ready for this Saturday.” 

Previous record holder Bellingham had taken his honour from Ryan Sessegnon who scored against Cardiff for Fulham back in 2016.

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Before that you had to go even further back to Theo Walcott in 2005 when he netted for Southampton against Leeds, also aged just 16.

What happened next for Bellingham?

If Monga can follow anyone, he’ll certainly be hoping for Bellingham, who is now considered one of the very best players in the world for club and country.

The midfielder departed Birmingham for talent pool Borussia Dortmund in 2020, landing his boyhood club a massive £25million – the most ever for a player under the age of 18.

He would win the DFB Pokal and become an integral player in the Bundesliga before stepping up another level to Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2023 for £85m.

A Champions League and LaLiga double winner in 2024, the England regular is now an inspiration for the Young Lions, including Monga who’s already shining in youth international football.

With a record of four goals in nine games for England’s under-16s, there’s plenty of reason for Cifuentes and Leicester fans to be excited.