There is always much debate around these kinds of topics due to the accuracy or lack of of birth certificates in some countries, and it’s hard to say definitively what level of football you need to play at for it to count.
However, we’ve attempted to compile a list of footballers who’ve represented their clubs or countries at strikingly young ages, with their career trajectories thereafter being largely mixed. One thing we can say for certain is that Christopher Atherton has now become the youngest footballer to play at senior level in the UK after his appearance for Northern Irish club Glenavon last night.
Having played at such a high level at only 13 will mean his progress will be closely watched from here, having broken a record which stood in the UK for more than 40 years.
