Christopher Atherton: NI schoolboy joins top names in becoming UK record breaker

Tuesday night's Northern Ireland League Cup tie in Lurgan looked to be heading for what would have been a routine comfortable win for top-flight Glenavon over third-tier Dollingstown.

A case of 'nothing to see here', really. And certainly no hint of the global headlines that the match was about to generate.

That was until, with just over 15 minutes remaining, Glenavon boss Gary Hamilton summoned teenager Christopher Atherton from the substitute's bench. This was far from a routine change, however, because Atherton was a 13-year-old making his first-team debut for the Irish Premiership club.

Thirteen years and 329 days old, to be precise, which saw the schoolboy become the youngest senior footballer in the United Kingdom. He took it in his stride, too, setting up a goal in his side's 6-0 win with his first touch.

So, what other male footballers around the world is Atherton joining in breaking those 'youngest ever' records.

Well, as it happens, he was actually only 10 days away from becoming the world's youngest ever player at senior level - a record currently held by Souleymane Mamam, who played for Togo in a World Cup qualifier against Zambia in May 2001 at 13 years and 319 days.

Whiteside takes Pele's World Cup record

Norman Whiteside played in two World Cups for Northern Ireland

And Atherton, who has been attracting the attention of a number of English clubs, joined a fellow countryman in the record books with former Manchester United star Norman Whiteside still holding the title of the youngest player to play at a World Cup.

The Shankill Road man, after just two United appearances, made his international debut in Northern Ireland's opening World Cup 1982 match against Yugoslavia in Zaragoza at 17 years and 41 days.

It was none other than Pele that Whiteside usurped for that accolade, but the famous Brazilian can still lay claim to being the youngest ever goalscorer at the World Cup thanks to his strikes at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden when he was 17 years and 239 days old.

Returning to the club stage, Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott is currently the youngest to ever play in the Premier League. He made his debut in the competition for Fulham against Wolves on 4 May 2019, aged 16 years and 30 days, breaking a record previously held by fellow Fulham player Matthew Briggs.

The youngest to score in the Premier League? Think strong, aggressive, hard-working Everton striker - but, no, not that one.

Wayne Rooney did hold the record after his strike against Arsenal in 2002 but James Milner broke it on Boxing Day of the same year. Then, at 16 years and 270 days, James Vaughan scored on his debut for the Toffees in a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in 2005 to become the Premier League's youngest scorer.

Who is youngest on European stage?

Youssoufa Moukoko is the youngest to have played in the Champions League

While Elliott is the Premier League's youngest appearance maker, he would be fifth on the La Liga list, with the youngest to play in Spain's top flight being winger Luka Romero. He was 15 years, seven months and six days old when he played for RCD Mallorca in a 2-0 defeat by Real Madrid in June 2020.

In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund forward Youssoufa Moukoko is the youngest ever player courtesy of playing against Hertha Berlin at the age of 16 years and one day in November 2020.

Indeed, the following month, Moukoko took the same record in the Champions League by making his debut in Europe's premier competition at the age of 16 years and 18 days in a 2-1 away win over Zenit Saint Petersburg in December 2020.

Ansu Fati's winner for Barcelona away to Inter Milan a year earlier, when he was 17 years and 40 days, makes him the youngest goalscorer in Uefa Champions League history. It was a record that came close to being broken on Tuesday night, but Antonio Nusa was 140 days older when he notched for Club Brugge in their 4-0 win over Porto.

There is still time, of course, for Glenavon youngster Atherton to break some of these records as well.

Indeed, his manager revealed after Tuesday night's match that he had planned on giving the schoolboy his debut on the final day of last season's league campaign - which would have smashed the world record - but the 13-year-old, as schoolboys do, had a trip to Scotland to watch Celtic with his father planned.