Desire Doue reaches 13 Champions League goals before 22 to join Karim Benzema

Desire Doue matched Karim Benzema’s record for Champions League goals scored before the age of 22 as Paris Saint-Germain produced a remarkable first-half display against Villarreal on Tuesday.

The France international scored one of Paris Saint-Germain’s four goals in a 16-minute and two-second spell during the fourth round of the league phase.

Vitinha opened the scoring before Doue, Mayulu and Ruiz completed the remarkable sequence, giving Paris Saint-Germain four goals in the first half.

Doue’s strike took his Champions League total to 13 goals before his 22nd birthday, drawing him level with former France striker Karim Benzema.

According to Stats Foot, Doue is now the second-highest-scoring French player in the history of the competition at that age. He remains behind Kylian Mbappe, who scored 21 Champions League goals before turning 22.

The achievement further highlights Doue’s rapid rise among France’s leading young attacking players. It also underlines his influence at club level, with Stats Foot describing him as a symbol of victory for Paris Saint-Germain.

“Doue has scored in 30 official matches for Paris Saint-Germain, and the team won all of them, without a draw or defeat,” the statistics provider said.

The four-goal burst came in just over 16 minutes, setting a new benchmark for the speed of Paris Saint-Germain’s first-half scoring in the match. The club’s goals came from Vitinha, Doue, Mayulu and Ruiz.

Doue has now equalled Benzema’s total while continuing to close the gap on Mbappe, France’s record-holder in the comparison. His latest contribution also extended a striking unbeaten pattern for Paris Saint-Germain whenever he finds the net.

The result strengthened the significance of his performance in the league phase, with the forward combining a personal milestone with a decisive contribution to Paris Saint-Germain’s commanding display against Villarreal.