The 19-year-old scored the goal against Maribor that
sent Roberto Di Matteo's side through to the knockout stage and has
drawn comparisons with team-mate Julian Draxler Max Meyer has had a memorable start to his career at Schalke. After making his debut in February 2013 as a 17-year-old, he has gone from strength to strength.
Last season he was a regular in the Schalke line-up. He played in Champions League for the first time, was handed the No.7 shirt previously worn by Raul, and made his full international debut for Germany.
"He is an exceptionally promising young player," former Bayern Munich midfielder Dietmar Hamann told Goal. "He has very good attributes – he’s quick, he has great vision, and he’s creative."
There was, though, one particularly bad memory - or two - for the exciting attacking midfielder from his first full season in the famous blue shirt. Meyer played in both legs of the Champions League round-of-16 tie against Real Madrid. The scores were 1-6 at home and 1-3 away.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema scored eight goals between them in Real’s 9-2 aggregate victory and many will see the repeat tie in 2015 as an easy draw for the European champions.
For Meyer, a year older and wiser but still only 19, it will be a chance to establish himself as the outstanding teenager in this season’s Champions League.
There is plenty of competition, but Meyer – one of Nissan’s ‘Engineers of Excitement’ - is a more frequent starter for his club than most of the other youngsters still hoping to play a part in the competition this season.
"It’s getting harder and harder for teenagers to get into a starting XI," said Hamann. "Managers are under so much pressure they’ll go for older players, who are less likely to make a mistake."
Schalke would not have been in the draw but for Meyer, who came off the bench to score the second-half winner in Maribor last week.
Roberto Di Matteo, the Schalke manager, paraded him in front of the travelling fans at the final whistle and said later: "Meyer will play a very important role in Schalke’s future." So important that he was given a lucrative contract extension when he was only 18, driving up his price tag to deter potential suitors. "His contract reflects his achievements," general manager Horst Heldt said.
Meyer has followed the path of another Schalke star, Julian Draxler, through the ranks into the first team. Like Draxler, who is now said to be a transfer target for Arsenal, among others, Meyer made his Champions League debut aged 17 and scored his first European goal at 19.
Teenagers have to be exceptional to play in the latter stages of the tournament, but several big names have started young. Patrick Kluivert was 18 when he scored Ajax’s winning goal in the final against AC Milan in 1995 – in a team that also featured Clarence Seedorf and Kanu, both 19 at the time.
Cesc Fabregas played for Arsenal against Barcelona in the 2006 final as a 19-year-old and Karim Benzema scored against Manchester United for Lyon in 2008. Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi and Bastian Schweinsteiger, too, have all excelled in the tournament early in their careers.
All but five of this season's last 16 have fielded teenagers in the group stage, but Meyer and Basel's Breel Embolo were the only ones to make six appearances and reach the next round.
Calum Chambers, the Arsenal full-back, has played five times and along with Embolo and Pierre Hojbjerg of Bayern Munich is among this year's most promising starlets. He, too, has been capped this year by his national side, while Embolo is set for his debut after committing to Switzerland over Cameroon.
Expect Meyer, Chambers and the rest to be around for a long time to come. !I’m a bit more mature now and I think I can cope with the pressure," Meyer said. He will also be aiming for a big improvement on last year’s results against Real Madrid when the teams meet again
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