Varela youngest scorer in history, 20 teenagers scored for Dinamo in Europe overall

Talented Dinamo teenager Cardoso Varela slammed the ball into the net in the referee's added time right in front of the goal, securing a point for the Blues in their away match in Malmo and thereby making history. With that goal, Varela became the youngest Dinamo scorer in European matches of all time.
Furthermore, he is the only one who has shaken the net in Dinamo's international official competitions before his 17th birthday. On the day of the match in Sweden, he was 16 years, 11 months, and 24 days old, just six days before he would turn 17.
Only three more players in the club's history have scored in European matches before reaching adulthood: Anđelko Pavić in the mid-1960s, and in more recent history Mateo Kovačić and Ante Ćorić.

Until Varela The goal "tron" belonged to Ćorić, who scored in the victory of the Blues against the Romanian Astra 5:1 in the autumn of 2014. Interestingly, both of Dinamo's youngest European scorers - Varela and Ćorić - scored their first goal deep into the referee's added time.
A total of 20 players have scored goals for Dinamo in Europe in their teenage years, before turning 20. The most important one, of course, is the one from the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a competition that later evolved into the UEFA Cup, today's Europa League. At that time, the young Marijan Čerček, at only 18 years, 6 months, and 27 days, scored against Leeds United in the Blues' 2-0 victory. Dinamo defended the lead in the return leg, played 0-0, and lifted the historic trophy.

The list of twenty teenagers also includes father and son Kranjčar : Zlatko scored his European debut 12 days before his 20th birthday, while Niko did it 14 days before turning 19.

An interesting story with Anđelko Pavić, our right winger from the famous generation of the 1960s. Pavić is the winner of the Cup of the Fair Cities, and he scored his first goal as a 17-year-old. He shook the net of the Romanian Steaua in the Blues' 3-1 victory in Bucharest.
However, Pavić also scored two weeks later in the return leg in Zagreb, in another victory for the Blues, this time with 2-0, just a day before his 18th birthday. And in that return leg, another blue teenager, later celebrated Dinamo defender Mladen Ramljak, scored his debut goal.

Dinamo's teenagers and their debut goals in Europe:
16 years
Cardoso Varela: Malmö - Dinamo 1-1 (2025/'26.)
(16 y, 11 m, 24 d)

17 years
Ante Ćorić: Dinamo - Astra Giurgiu 5-1 (2014/'15.)
(17 y, 5 m, 4 d)Mateo Kovačić: Dinamo - Lyon 1-7 (2011/'12.)
(17 y, 7 m, 1 d)
Anđelko Pavić: Steaua - Dinamo 1-3 (1964/'65.)
(17 y, 11 m, 22 d)

18 years
Marijan Čerček: Dinamo - Leeds United 2-0 (1966/'67.)
(18 y, 6 m, 27 d)
Ivica Cvitković: Kopenhagen XI - Dinamo 2-7 (1961/'62.)
(18 y, 7 m, 30 d)
Mihael Mikić: Croatia - Porto 3-1 (1998/'99.)
(18 y, 9 m, 29 d)
Joško Gvardiol: Dinamo - CSKA Moscow 3-1 (2020/'21.)
(18 y, 10 m, 17 d)
Niko Kranjčar: Maribor - Dinamo 1-1 (2003/'04.)
(18 y, 11 m, 17 d)

19 years
Dejan Lovren: Sparta - Dinamo 3-3 (2008/'09.)
(19 y, 2 m, 27 d)
Zlatko Haraminčić: Dinamo - Fiorentina 2-1 (1960/'61.)
(19 y, 3 m, 4 d)
Zdenko Kobešćak: Bayern - Dinamo 1-4 (1962/'63.)
(19 y, 3 m, 10 d)
Mladen Ramljak: Dinamo - Steaua 2-0 (1964/'65.)
(19 y, 5 m, 15 d)
Marijan Novak: Dinamo - Juventus 3-0 (1966/'67.)
(19 y, 6 m, 17 d)
Marko Pjaca: Dinamo – Celtic 4-3 (2014/'15.)
(19 g, 7 m, 5 d)
Milan Badelj: Sparta – Dinamo 3-3 (2008/'09.)
(19 g, 7 m, 7 d)Ivan Tomečak: Ajax – Dinamo 2-1 (2009/'10.)
(19 g, 10 m, 15 d)
Josip Tadić: Dinamo – Xäzär 3-1 (2007/'08.)
(19 g, 11 m, 2 d)
Zlatko Cico Kranjčar: Dinamo – Magdeburg 2-2 (1976/'77.)
(19 g, 11 m, 19 d)
Gabriel Vidović: Astana – Dinamo 0-2 (2023/'24.)
(19 g, 11 m, 29 d)