Alan Hansen once declared: “You can’t win anything with kids!” Well, plenty of clubs have tried to prove the former Liverpool defender wrong over the years.
However, there are fewer teams who have shown the bravery – misplaced or otherwise – to call upon those who have only just hit double digits. After all, a pre-match meal of Coco Pops and a carton of Ribena is hardly the fuel of the gods, but sometimes the exuberance and talent of youth simply can’t be contained.
There are an array of record-breaking youngsters out there that have competed in senior football at incredibly tender ages, making Lamine Yamal look like a late bloomer and James Milner an octogenarian.
As you can imagine, it’s difficult to know exactly what is going on in the Bolivian third tier or the Algerian cup competitions, but with some keen detective work we have gathered ten of the youngest footballers recorded at senior level.
Welcome to the show, Cavan Sullivan. ✨
The 14-year-old becomes the youngest player to debut in MLS history. pic.twitter.com/qbgjh4QRns
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 18, 2024
13 years and 310 days old – The age of Souleymane Mamam when he became the youngest player to feature in the World Cup.#OTD in 2001, Souleymane featured for his side Togo against Zambia in a preliminary qualifying match.
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) May 6, 2021
Axel Kei is now the youngest player to feature for a professional sports team in the United States 🇺🇸
He made his debut for Real Salt Lake’s reserve side at THIRTEEN YEARS OLD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/P8XUeQJpo4
— GOAL (@goal) October 9, 2021
Tonight, Glenavon Academy player Christopher Atherton made his first team debut against Dollingstown in the League Cup. At 1⃣3⃣ yrs and 3⃣2⃣9⃣ days old, he became the youngest player in the UK to play in a first-class match.
Congratulations Christo!!👏🏼💙 pic.twitter.com/hypGdC5R7p
— Glenavon FC (@Glenavon_FC) September 13, 2022
#Onthisday 2009: 12 year old Mauricio Baldivieso became the youngest player to ever play professional football by lining up for Club Aurora pic.twitter.com/SAweXB3V94
— Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts) July 19, 2018
🇱🇷 In 2021, Eric Godpower Marshall debuted for Gar’ou FC in Liberia’s fourth division at 10 years and 11 months
The youngest ever player to play professional football pic.twitter.com/xkBKobGEPf
— COPA90 (@Copa90) July 20, 2023
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