18 August 2012 - Wasting No Time To Make An Impact

On 18 August 2012, Málaga's Fabrice Olinga became the youngest goalscorer in La Liga history (and got the match-winner as well).

After finishing fourth in the league the previous season, financial pressures forced Málaga to sell off several players, including star midfielder Santi Cazorla and their 2011-12 top scorer Salomón Rondón. They also lost striker Ruud van Nistlerooy to retirement, forcing manager Manuel Pellegrini to make some changes for the 2012-13 season.

For their opener against Celta Vigo, Málaga started with Sebastián Fernández as the lone forward, but with the game still scoreless in the 60th minute, Pellegrini replaced him with Olinga. Twenty-four minutes later, Olinga scored the game's only goal. He was 16 years and 98 days at the time, breaking the previous record of 16 years and 289 days, set by Athletic Bilbao's Iker Muniain in October 2009.

Despite the successful debut, Olinga made only five other appearances for Málaga's senior team that season and did not score again.

18 February 1973 - The Role Came A Little Bit Later

On 18 February 1973, Claude Makélélé, who redefined the modern defensive midfielder position, was born in Kinshasa, Zaire.

He moved to France when he was four and spent the first several years of his career there, first with Stade Brestois (1990-91), then with Nantes (1991-97) and later Marseille (1997-98). In 1998, he left for Spain, playing two seasons for Celta de Vigo and three for Real Madrid.

At Madrid, he was an integral member of the Galacticos side assembled by club president Florentino Pérez, including Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos. Although not regarded as highly (or paid as much) as some of the others, Makélélé drove the side by operating less like a traditional defensive midfielder and more like a deep-lying playmaker.

When he left for Chelsea in 2003, a bitter Pérez tried to minimize the loss, downplaying Makélélé's contribution to the team. But after winning two league titles (and the Champions League) with him, Real Madrid did not win La Liga again until 2007.

Makélélé, meanwhile, flourished at Chelsea, winning two league titles and one FA Cup before moving back to France in 2008, joining Paris Saint-Germain. He ended his career there, retiring in 2011, and currently serves the club as an assistant coach.