Warren Zaire-Emery became Paris Saint-Germain's youngest-ever Ligue 1 starter when he was named in the side for their clash with Rennes on Sunday night.
The 16-year-old was selected in the starting XI alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar for the trip to Roazhon Park, with Kylian Mbappe on the bench for Christophe Galtier's side. However, Zaire-Emery was unable to help PSG extend their lead at the top of the table as Rennes ran out 1-0 winners courtesy of Hamari Traore's second-half strike.
Despite the result, it was a momentous occasion for Zaire-Emery, who was not even born when team-mate Messi made his LaLiga debut for Barcelona in October 2005. Zaire-Emery was born in Paris five months later and started playing football as a four-year old - the same year in which Messi won his third Champions League medal.
However, defensive midfielder Zaire-Emery is now playing alongside the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner at the Parc des Princes and seems to have slotted straight into the first-team set-up. Having came through the ranks at PSG, he made his senior debut on the opening day of the Ligue 1 season as a late substitute in a 5-0 win over Clermont.
Zaire-Emery has remained in and around the senior picture since his first appearance and keeps breaking records almost every time he steps onto the pitch. In October, he made his Champions League bow in a 7-2 victory over Maccabi Haifa and became the first player born in 2006 to feature in the competition in the process.
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Ahead of PSG's Coupe de France tie at Chateauroux, there were murmurings about whether Zaire-Emery would get the nod to make his first start for the club, having been used as a substitute on seven previous occasions. And the teenager was finally handed his chance from the off as PSG swept aside their lower league opponents.
Goals from Hugo Ekitike, Carlos Soler and Juan Bernat gave PSG the win on the night as Zaire-Emery impressed on his first start for his boyhood club. After then featuring as a late substitute in the 2-0 win over Angers last Wednesday, Zaire-Emery was given another opportunity as a starter against Rennes, but it didn't prove as successful as PSG missed the chance to go six points clear at the top of the table.
Speaking to L’Equipe following the full-time whistle, PSG boss Galtier said: "We need to find our game back. We knew this would be a difficult game, and it was. We had the ball, but we failed to threaten them. Rennes defended with too much ease.
"I’m not worried, but we need a wake-up call. The World Cup is over. We’ve been scattered for eight weeks, so we have to retrieve some cohesiveness and pace.
"This is a tight league, but I’m not used to watching the standings. I’m focusing on performances, and I have work to do."
