A 14-year-old debuts as the youngest footballer in the professional league
**At the European Championship, Lamine Yamal makes headlines as he turns 17 the day before the final. In the USA, a soccer player younger than two years makes his debut: Cavan Sullivan. The 14-year-old has already caught the attention of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
He is even younger than EM shooting star Lamine Yamal, his way to the world-class club Manchester City is already set - and now teenager Cavan Sullivan has also made headlines with a record. With 14 years and 293 days, he debuted in the North American professional league MLS and broke the record of his countryman Freddy Adu as the youngest player in league history.
"I have always dreamed of this day", said Sullivan, born in Philadelphia with a German mother: "I had butterflies in my stomach when I came on as a substitute. Hearing my name called out by the fans was surreal." Having the record is "very cool". In the league match of his Philadelphia Union, club of the German sporting director Ernst Tanner, against New England Revolution, midfielder Sullivan came on in the 85th minute. His 20-year-old brother Quinn had scored the goal for the 5:1 (3:0)-final score just before.
He is 13 days younger than Adu, who made his MLS debut for DC United in 2004. In the history of the major North American men's sports leagues NFL (Football), MLB (Baseball), NBA (Basketball), and NHL (Ice Hockey), basketballer Andrew Bynum, who debuted for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005 at the age of 18 years and 6 days, is the youngest debutant.
Cavan Sullivan looks at Manchester City
In the biggest leagues worldwide, Sullivan could be the youngest pro according to media. In the English Premier League, Ethan Nwaneri gave his debut for Arsenal in 2022 at the age of 15 years and 181 days. In the Italian Serie A, Pietro Pellegri (2016) holds the record with 15 years and 280 days, in the Bundesliga it is Youssoufa Moukoko with 16 years and a day (2020). Spanish wonderkind and fresh European champion Lamine Yamal was 15 years and 290 days old at his debut for Barcelona. Argentinian superstar and Barca icon Lionel Messi made his first appearance for the Catalans in 2004 at the age of 17.
"Having the record is very cool. There will surely be younger ones, but I can hold it for a while. But I am enjoying this moment", said Sullivan, who, like his brother before him, participated in a probationary training at Borussia Dortmund. In Philadelphia, he is currently a teammate of the Germans Leon Flach (formerly of FC St. Pauli) and Kai Wagner (formerly of Würzburger Kickers) and signed his first professional contract in May, the highest-paid of a "Homegrown Player", as players are called who are acquired by clubs from their own academy.
As Sullivan and his family explained at the time, the contract signing was decisive because Manchester City was involved. The top club of manager Pep Guardiola had secured the option to sign Sullivan when he turns 18. Before then, he is not eligible to play in England.
"That was the deciding factor for me. I always look at Man City. It's the dream team of every child", Sullivan explained to ESPN: "I sat down with my family and my agents and we decided that was the best plan."**
After making history as the youngest player to debut in the MLS, Cavan Sullivan expressed his excitement, stating, "I have always dreamed of this day, hearing my name called out by the fans was surreal." Despite being younger than soccer prodigy Lamine Yamal from the United States of America, Sullivan's path to Manchester City is already setting records.
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