Liverpool Shocks Fans by Dropping Club Hero from Champions League Squad While Promoting Rising Star Rio Ngumoha
Federico Chiesa finds himself excluded from Liverpool's 2025-26 UEFA Champions League roster, while 16-year-old prodigy Rio Ngumoha has secured his place in the squad.
Ngumoha has emerged as one of Liverpool's most captivating players during the summer period. The teenage winger showcased his abilities during preseason before making headlines worldwide by netting a dramatic stoppage-time winner against Newcastle United in his Premier League bow.
Through this achievement, Ngumoha established himself as the club's youngest ever goalscorer, and now has the opportunity to become Liverpool's youngest Champions League participant in the club's history.
Teams are permitted to register up to 25 players for their Champions League roster, provided they can satisfy UEFA's requirement of eight homegrown or 'locally developed' players. Failure to reach this threshold results in a proportional reduction of their squad capacity.
Liverpool, who strengthened their squad with additions including Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké among others, could only register 22 A-list players, resulting in Chiesa's omission.
Teams may register unlimited players on their B list, however they must be under 21 years of age and have remained with the club continuously for three years between ages 15 and 21. They may also qualify for List B if they completed the same duration with another domestic club under identical age conditions.
Ngumoha cannot be placed on List B due to his recent arrival from Chelsea last September and, being only 16 years old, he fails to satisfy the three-year requirement. For Slot to utilize the youngster in Champions League competition, he needed to be registered among the 17 non-homegrown players on List A.
Chiesa has become the casualty to accommodate Ngumoha's inclusion in Liverpool's European squad. The Italian forward, who netted the decisive goal against Bournemouth on the season's opening day, will be unavailable for Champions League league phase matches.
The Reds aim to match their previous campaign's achievement when they finished atop the debut Champions League league phase standings. With high-profile encounters against finalists Inter Milan and the anticipated Anfield return of Trent Alexander-Arnold with Real Madrid, the Premier League champions' league phase campaign promises excitement.