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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Sport
Staff reporter

Where Christopher Atherton's record-breaking feat stands in football history books

Northern Ireland has something of a track record when it comes to record-breaking youngsters in football.

Christopher Atherton, 13, is the talk of the game in the UK today after his incredible achievement last night. But where does his record stand in the all-time lists, and in the global game?

The talented teen came off the bench for Irish League side Glenavon in Tuesday night's BetMcLean League Cup rout of Dollingstown and set up a goal with his first touch in a 6-0 rout.

Read next: Glenavon youngster Christopher Atherton rewrites history books in League Cup

At just 13 years and 329 days old, Atherton becomes the youngest player to feature in a first-class match in the United Kingdom.

According to Northern Ireland football stats expert Marshall Gillespie, Atherton beat the previous record set by Eamon Collins who was 14 years and 323 days old when he debuted for Blackpool back in September 1980.

The youngster - who came off the bench to replace Jack Malone - is the latest teenage talent to make his mark in the Irish League this season.

Last week Conor Haughey became Glentoran's youngest ever player when he came on against Lisburn Distillery in the Co Antrim Shield.

Haughey - a younger brother of former Irish League ace Marty Donnelly - made his senior Glens debut at the age of 15 years, three months and eight days.

Perhaps the most famous record of all for soccer players in this country is that of Norman Whiteside.

Norman Whiteside takes on Yugoslavia's Nikola Jovanovic at the 1982 World Cup (Getty)

The former Manchester United star is still the youngest ever player to feature at a World Cup.

At just 17 years and 41 days, he made his debut in the 1982 World Cup against Yugoslavia - breaking the record set by Brazillian legend Pele.

Whiteside is also the youngest player to score in a League Cup and FA Cup final, and the youngest player to score a senior goal for Manchester United.

He joined the Red Devils as a 16-year-old and made his debut about two weeks before his 17th birthday against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Whiteside scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 win against Stoke City on 15th May 1982, eight days after he turned 17 years old.

George Best also scored at the age of 17 for Manchester United but he was a number of months older than Whiteside was at the time.

The achievements of Atherton at Glenavon don't quite stretch to a world record, however.

At the age of 12, Bolivia's Mauricio Baldivieso was the youngest player ever to play professional football when his father, Julio Baldivieso, who managed Club Aurora at the time, sent him on as a late substitute against La Paz on 19 July 2009.

While his father was a long-serving international with Bolivia, Mauricio, now 26, only ever represented his country at under-20 level and still plays his club football in the country with San Jose.

Amazingly, that record fell earlier this year in the Liberian fourth division in Africa.

At the age of 11, Eric Godpower Marshall played for FC Gar'ou as they thumped Haifa FC 4-1.

Who knows where Atherton's football career will go from here.

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