Forward · #62
Shumaira Mheuka
England · 6'0" · 18
His story
- 01Record
The youngest player ever to start a European game for Chelsea
Mheuka was seventeen when Chelsea started him away to Copenhagen in March 2025, making him the youngest player in the club's history to begin a European match. His senior debut had come only three months earlier, in Kazakhstan. By the end of the following season, he had been named the best player in Premier League 2, the competition just below the senior game.
- 02Drama
His academy move ended in a £7.65m tribunal bill
Mheuka had been with Brighton since he was nine and was already playing under-18 football at fourteen. Chelsea signed him in 2022 without agreeing compensation, so the price was left to a tribunal. The eventual bill for Mheuka and fellow academy player Zak Sturge could rise to £7.65m if they reach enough first-team and international milestones.
- 03Off the pitch
English-born, Zimbabwean family, boarding-school educated
Mheuka was born in England to Zimbabwean parents and attended Ardingly College in Sussex while coming through Brighton's academy. He has represented England throughout the youth age groups. His route to Chelsea runs through a Zimbabwean family, an English boarding school and a move from the Brighton academy to London at fourteen.
Career
Chelsea2024–
Celtic2026
