The youngest footballers ever

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.

10. Maikah Dau - 14 years old

If you've been keeping an eye on the Fijian Premier League lately - and we know you have - you will have witnessed the debut of 14-year-old midfielder Maikah Dau. The teenager made his first senior appearance for Nasinu FC in July 2024 and played the full 90 minutes according to some unofficial reports from the other side of the globe.

Unfortunately for Dau, his first outing ended in defeat, with Nasinu suffering a 2-1 loss at the hands of Suva FA. Born in 2009, the midfielder has become a regular for the Fijian outfit and has already represented his country's Under-17 side.

9. Cavan Sullivan - 14 years old

Cavan Sullivan made Major League Soccer history in July 2024, donning a Philadelphia Union shirt in the United States' top division for the first time aged just 14. He had already signed a professional contract with the American side before featuring in the 5-1 win over New England Revolution and he will move to one of Europe's elite when he turns 18.

Sullivan's Philadelphia Union contract has a clause placed in it that means he'll jet off to Manchester City when he turns 18, but he is also eligible to join the City Football Group's sister clubs around Europe when 16 years old.

The midfielder has already represented the United States' youth sides but he is also eligible to play for Germany and Bangladesh.

8. Aung Kyaw Tun - 14 years old

Aung Kyaw Tun may now be nearing his 40s but the former midfielder was once a record holder on the international stage. When making his debut for Myanmar against Thailand in 2000 at the age of 14, he became the youngest player to ever make an appearance in a FIFA recognised match.

Tun also scored in the clash with Thailand on his debut, which means he does still hold the record for the youngest goalscorer in a FIFA recognised match. He went on to make 13 appearances for the national team but he never added to his debut strike.

7. Lukas Knecht - 14 years old

Lukas Knecht needs no introduction to those well versed in Northern Marianas Islands' football history. But in case you need a refresher, the defender became the youngest appearance maker in an international football match when he faced Guam in 2007.

Knecht may have lost the match 9-0 but it was the beginning of an 11-cap international career for the the then 14-year-old, with some questionable reports even suggesting he once signed for German third division side VfL Osnabruck.

6. Da'vian Kimbrough - 13 years old

Da'vian Kimbrough is one of the few 13-year-olds to have represented a senior football team, becoming the youngest player in American soccer history when debuting for Sacramento Republic FC - a second division team - in 2023.

Featuring for the first time at 13 years, seven months and 13 days, Kimbrough has since gone on to make a number of appearances for Republic and has even earned several caps for the Mexico national team's Under-15 side. Maybe one to keep an eye on for Football Manager aficionados.

5. Souleymane Mamam - 13 years old

There is some dispute over how old Souleymane Mamam actually is, with various sources reporting different dates of birth for the Togolese midfielder. However, FIFA claim he was the youngest player to ever feature in a World Cup qualifier back in 2001 when he represented Togo in a clash with Zambia at the age of 13.

Regardless, Mamam was an eye-catching talent. Such was the impression he made in his formative years, Manchester United actually signed the eight-cap Togo international in 2003. However, due to work permit issues, he never featured for the Red Devils - although he did play for Royal Antwerp and Mechelen in Belgium.

4. Axel Kei - 13 years old

Axel Kei, who was born in the Ivory Coast but raised in Brazil, made history when he turned out for the first time in a senior match in 2021. Having made the move to the United States at a young age, eventually teaming up with Real Salt Lake's academy, Kei impressed so much that he secured a loan move to Real Monarchs to play in the USL Championship.

Kei made his debut for Real Monarchs aged 13 and subsequently became the youngest athlete in American team sport history. He has since made an appearance for Real Salt Lake in MLS and still has a bright future ahead of him.

3. Christopher Atherton - 13 years old

There could be a move to English royalty for Christopher Atherton in the near future. The Northern Ireland youth international became the youngest senior appearance maker in the United Kingdom when representing Glenavon in a 6-0 victory over Dollingstown aged 13 and 329 days.

Atherton has made a handful of appearances for Glenavon since and understandably caught the eye of England's elite sides after his remarkable debut. There have been reports that he has agreed to join Chelsea after going on trial with the club, but the Blues haven't confirmed this as of yet.

2. Mauricio Baldivieso - 12 years old

There's a hint of nepotism about Mauricio Baldivieso's debut for Bolivian side Aurora aged 12 years old back in 2009. The midfielder was handed his first senior outing by his father Julio, making Mauricio the youngest player to ever feature in a professional football match - well, that had been recorded at the time anyway.

Baldivieso went on to make over a dozen appearances for Aurora before moving around Bolivia, with stints at Nacional Potosi, Wilstermann and San Jose. Unlike his father - who managed 85 international caps - he never represented the senior Bolivian national team despite one appearance for the Under-20s.

1. Eric Godpower Marshall - 10 years old

With a name like Eric Godpower Marshall, you have to deliver. Well, Marshall did exactly that by becoming the youngest player to ever play professional football when he represented Liberian fourth division side Gar'ou FC at 10 years and 11 months old. Yes, really.

If you fancy checking out Gar'ou FC's social media channels, you'll see that they have pretty high hopes for Marshall following his ludicrously young debut in 2023. The next George Weah, perhaps?

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