There is a saying in football that goes, "if they are good enough, they are old enough" and some coaches believe the dictum completely, showing faith in young players to perform at senior level.
While 16 and 17-year-old players often possess the physicality to play senior football, it is much rarer for players to make the jump at 14 and 15, but it does happen on occasion.
With the help of rsssf.com, GOAL takes a look at the youngest players to feature in international football.
Who are the youngest ever international footballers?
Lucas Knecht holds the record for youngest player to feature in a senior international football match, having played for the Northern Mariana Islands in a 2007 game against Guam when he was aged 14 years, two days.
After Knecht, Aung Kyaw Tun is the second-youngest player to feature in a senior international match after making his debut for Myanmar in November 2000 against Thailand at the age of 14 years and 93 days.
The top three is completed by Benin international Moussa Latoundji, who was handed a senior debut for his country when aged 14 years and 157 days against Tunisia.
You can see the top 10 youngest men's international footballers in the table below.
Rank | Player | Team | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lucas Knecht | Northern Mariana Islands | 14 years, 2 days |
2 | Aung Kyaw Tun | Myanmar | 14 years, 93 days |
3 | Moussa Latoundji | Benin | 14 years, 157 days |
4 | Joel Fruit | Northern Mariana Islands | 14 years, 177 days |
5 | Christopher Louisy | Turks & Caicos | 14 years, 187 days |
6 | MacDonald Taylor Jr. | U.S. Virgin Islands | 14 years, 193 days |
7 | Kennedy Izuka | Northern Mariana Islands | 14 years, 242 days |
8 | Junior Gourrier | Centra African Republic | 14 years, 317 days |
9 | Stephen Appiah | Ghana | 14 years, 322 days |
10 | Watson Jean-Louis | Turks & Caicos | 14 years, 328 days |
As well as being the second youngest international footballer in history, Aung Kyaw Tun holds the record for youngest international goalscorer, having struck on his debut against Thailand.
Interestingly, the Northern Mariana Islands international football team, which Knecht played for, has given a number of senior debuts to players under the age of 16. In fact, three of the top 10 youngest international footballers came from the team.
Joel Fruit made his debut for Northern Mariana Islands at the age of 14 years and 177 days, while Kennedy Izuka played for them at the age of 14 years and 242 days.
In August 2014, at 15 years and 253 days, Martin Odegaard made his senior international debut for Norway in a friendly game against the United Arab Emirates.
Just over a month later, Odegaard became the youngest player to feature in a European Championship qualifier when he came on as a subtitute against Bulgaria aged 15 years and 300 days.
In the process of appearing against Bulgaria on that occasion, Odegaard smashed a record that had stood since 1983, when Sigurdur Jonsson played for Iceland against Malta at the age of 16 years and 251 days.