The French club became the first among the major European leagues to field a starting eleven with all players born after 2000
Goalkeeper: Mike Penders (20)
Defenders: Samuel Amo-Ameyaw (19), Junior Mwanga (22), Lucas Høgsberg (19), Mamadou Sarr (19), and Abdoul Ouattara (19)
Midfielders: Félix Lemaréchal (22), Samir El Mourabet (19), and Valentín Barco (21)
Forwards: Emanuel Emegha (22) and Joaquín Panichelli (22)
Meanwhile, Panichelli's transfer from Alavés was completed for over 16 million euros, a deal that brought 3.2 million euros to River, which still held 20% of his rights.
Racing Strasbourg made history in European football. In its Ligue 1 debut, the French team fielded a starting eleven composed entirely of players born from the year 2000 onwards, an unprecedented event in the five major leagues.
Liam Rosenior's youth-focused approach paid off, as at the end of the match, Joaquín Panichelli, an Argentine forward who came up through River, scored the winning goal against Metz. It was his first goal since his arrival in July, and the one that sealed a historic day for the blue and whites.
Strasbourg's squad averages just 21 years old, with most players between 18 and 23. The only ones who break the trend are Swedish goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson (35) and Ukrainian Eduard Sobol (30).
In this context, former Boca Valentín Barco is also present. Colo, who arrived in February on loan from Sevilla, was bought in this transfer window for 10 million euros from Brighton and has established himself as a key piece in the midfield.
