ATHERTON NORTH THE YOUNGEST
NORTHERN Ireland has something of a track record when it comes to record-breaking youngsters in football.
Perhaps the most famous record of all for soccer players from the North is that of Norman Whiteside.
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 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.
Club
He joined the Red Devils as a 16-year-old and made his debut about two weeks before his 17th birthday against Brighton.
Whiteside scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 win against Stoke City on May 15 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 Christopher 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 sub against La Paz on 19 July 2009.
While his father was a long-serving international with Bolivia, Mauricio, now 26, only represented his country at Under-20 level and still plays his club football in his home country with San Jose.
Amazingly, his record fell earlier this year in the Liberian fourth division.
At the age of 11, Eric Godpower Marshall played for FC Gar’ou as they thumped Haifa FC 4-1.