Mbappé set to beat Messi as youngest to 100 UCL games at Roma

📰 Kylian Mbappé will become the youngest player to reach 100 Champions League appearances if he features at Roma on 14 October. 📌 Key points 🏟️ Real Madrid face Roma at the Stadio Olimpico at 9pm Spanish time on 14 October. 💯 Mbappé would reach 100 Champions League games aged 27 years and 298 days. 🐐 The previous youngest was Lionel Messi at 28 years and 84 days. 🟥 Vinicius Jr is awaiting a La Liga ban but can play in Europe. 🔙 It is José Mourinho's return to his former club Roma. 📝 What happened 💯 According to Sports Mole and Fútbol Mundial, Mbappé will reach 100 Champions League appearances at 27 years and 298 days if he plays. Messi set the record at 28 years and 84 days on 16 September 2015 for Barcelona — against Roma, of all teams. 🟥 Vinicius was sent off against Villarreal on 10 October for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair. According to Eurosport, the referee's report also says he kept protesting with an 'aggressive attitude' and 'had to be held back by team-mates'. The Competition Committee has not yet announced his ban. ✅ La Liga suspensions do not apply in the Champions League, so Vinicius is available in Rome. Sports Mole says he has 26 Champions League assists, one short of Cristiano Ronaldo's club record. 🔙 Mourinho managed Roma from 2021 to January 2024 and won the Conference League in 2022. This time he faces Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma from the Real Madrid bench. 📊 By the numbers • Mbappé's age if he plays: 27 years 298 days (Messi: 28 years 84 days) • Matchday one: Real Madrid 2-1 Inter, Fenerbahçe 1-1 Roma • Vinicius: 26 Champions League assists, one off Ronaldo's club record (Sports Mole) 👀 What to watch 💯 Mbappé's 100th — he can break the record against the same opponent Messi faced in his 100th. 🟥 Vinicius's role — a domestic ban looks certain, but Europe is separate. Will Mourinho start him or keep him on the bench? 🧤 Roma's gaps — first-choice keeper Mile Svilar is out with a fracture, while top scorer Donyell Malen is banned domestically but available in Europe. 🚑 Real absentees — Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo and Raúl Asencio miss out (Sports Mole). 🔭 Why it matters After Rome, Real Madrid host Sevilla on 18 October and travel to Camp Nou for El Clásico on 25 October. If Vinicius gets a ban of two games or more, he could miss both, making Rome possibly his last match before El Clásico.