Soccer broadcasters in Israel often use the word "child" to describe young players, even those who have passed the age of 20 and have long since forgotten when they were children.
I wonder what they will say about Christopher Atherton, a Glenavon player from Northern Ireland, who was the youngest footballer to play for a professional football club in Great Britain.
The record in question was broken on September 13 in Glenavon's game against Dollingstown in the Northern Irish League Cup.
In the 75th minute, Glenavon's coach Gary Hamilton made a substitution and put on the field a player whose body dimensions betrayed his age: Atherton had not yet turned 14, and to be precise, on the day of his debut he was 13 years and 329 days old.
If that's not amazing enough, get another fact.
Not many minutes passed, and Atherton justified his inclusion when - on his first touch of the ball - he provided an assist to his team-mate Matthew Snoddy, which led to a goal in favor of Glenavon.
If not for the cooking, Hamilton might have had to answer the claims that the inclusion of such a young player is just a gimmick and nothing more.
The coach, by the way, simply believes in Atherton and his extraordinary talent, and tells everyone who wants to hear that Christopher is versatile and capable of playing in almost any position.
He had planned to take the boy to the pitch already at the previous Glenavon game, but Christopher had gone that day with his father to Glasgow, to watch the derby between Celtic and Rangers.
In the case of another player, such an excuse for absence would not be accepted with forgiveness, but Atherton was a boy nonetheless.
Christopher Atherton on the right.
He even had time to cook, photo: from Twitter
Hamilton has known Atherton since the age of 6, and has been following him for the past few years.
According to the coach, Christopher was invited to train with the club's first team already in the previous season, and surprisingly he did so comfortably, without feelings of inferiority or fear.
Atherton broke the record that stood for more than four decades and belonged to Irish footballer Eamonn Collins.
In 1980, Collins made his Blackpool debut, when he was 14 years and 323 days old.
Ironically, it was Collins' only game in Blackpool, because a short time later he moved to Southampton, and started a real professional career there only two more years later - without minimal muscle mass his path was blocked.
The precedent of Collins shows that despite the talent, the height and weight of a young boy are a real obstacle and do not allow him to deal with mature opponents for a long time.
Does this foreshadow the future path of the new diamond from Glenavon?
It is likely that his next appearance in the senior team will not happen immediately, because coach Hamilton understands very well that now he has to keep the boy and prepare him for the future.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us