PRO SHOTS / Zuma PressKimbrough has become the youngest debutant ever in American professional football
NOS Voetbal•vandaag, 14:52
Da’vian Kimbrough became the youngest debutant ever in American professional football on Sunday. At the age of 13 years, 7 months and 13 days, he came on as a substitute in a second-tier match between his club Sacramento Republic FC and Las Vegas Lights FC.
Becoming a professional footballer at the age of 13 is not possible in the Netherlands. The KNVB applies a minimum age of 15 years for senior teams.
Edwin Goedhart, national doctor for the Dutch national team, believes that this limit can be defended. “Such strict age limits mainly have a legal background, but in any case provide clarity,” he explains. “You have to draw a line somewhere so as not to get stuck in a gray area. Because one player will be able to handle playing at top level so early, but the other will not.”
Can you handle the pressure and changing attention during puberty? In fact, you are still in the middle of your development.
Edwin Goedhart
In the Netherlands, you are only allowed to sign a professional contract when you are 15 years old. Previously this was 16 years, but at the age of 15 the Working Hours Act allows you to work five days a week, with a maximum of twelve hours in total. Dutch football clubs regarded the contract as a side job and suggested a younger age in 2020.
Scratch the youngest premier league footballer
In the annals of the Premier League, Wim Kras was a youthful revelation in 1959. At the age of just 15 years, 9 months and 17 days, he entered the field on behalf of FC Volendam and wrote history as the youngest Premier League player ever.
The top five of youngest Premier League debutants are completed by Michel Mommertz, Mark van Bommel, Sepp van den Berg and Richairo Zivkovic, who all made their debut at the age of sixteen.
ANP Mark van Bommel was 16 years and 10 days old when he played his first match for Fortuna Sittard in the Premier League.
Back to Kimbrough. The teenager signed his first professional contract with Sacramento Republic FC in early August. With his young age and height of 1.80 meters, the attacker is a striking appearance in American professional football.
“At the end of the day it’s just football, I just do what I like,” he said after his first minutes.
Risk of injuries
Goedhart agrees that a number of aspects make the American’s young debut remarkable. “Physically, the question is whether you have the speed and strength to keep up with the level at such a young age,” he explains.
“You run a greater risk of injuries that could affect your professional career when your body is still developing. Although this differs per person.”
ANPEdwin Goedhart treats Cody Gapko during the UEFA Nations League semi-final match between the Netherlands and Croatia
If you peak early, it does not mean that you will stand out later, according to the KNVB doctor. “On a mental level, it is also a big question how these boys deal with it. Can you handle the pressure and changing attention during puberty? In fact, you are still in the middle of your development.”
Kimbrough is now looking beyond his debut. “Once I got into the match, the nerves were gone. I hope to be able to score next time,” he said afterwards.
Other sports
In other sports it is more common to see young participants in action. In the skateboarding world you regularly see young teenagers racing over ramps with bravado. In 2020, 12-year-old Kokona Hiraki captured a silver medal for Japan in the park discipline at the Olympic Games, while Britain’s Sky Brown won bronze at just 13 years old.
EPA
Professional careers can also start at a very young age in sports such as gymnastics and figure skating. The minimum age for Olympic participation is determined by the international sports federations. In football, FIFA does not have its own regulations regarding minimum ages, but the association does check the registrations and contracts of young players.
In 1997, the minimum age for gymnastics was adjusted to 16 years, after very young gymnasts often competed at the highest level. The 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valijeva was the main actress in a doping scandal in 2022.
Teen stars
After Kimbrough’s debut, his coach, Mark Briggs, further increased the high expectations of his pupil. “I think we already got a glimpse of his qualities today.”
Sometimes extremely young talents live up to expectations. Sergio Agüero made his debut for Argentina’s CA Independiente at the age of 15. After a season and a half he left for Atlético Madrid, after which he transferred to Manchester City after five strong seasons. There he became the club’s top scorer of all time with 260 goals.
EPAArgentine forward Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero poses with the Golden Boy award trophy in 2007
But an early first appearance is not always a guarantee of success. The American Freddy Adu was hailed as the next Pelé in youth football. At 14, he became the youngest American ever to sign a professional contract in Major League Soccer.
When Adu moved to Portuguese side SL Benfica at the age of 18, expectations were already a lot lower. Ultimately, his CV features almost exclusively unknown(er) clubs from Greece, Turkey, Brazil, Serbia and Finland.
The youngest professional footballer ever, Mauricio Baldivieso, was 12 years old when he made his debut for the Bolivian first division Club Aurora.
2023-10-04 12:52:27
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