Arsenal Should Hold This One
I always thought we would hold the record for the youngest player to play professional football but that record has gone to Mauricio Baldivieso who became the youngest player ever to play in professional football when he came on as a substitute for Aurora in a Bolivian Clausura championship match at the ripe old age of 12.
Baldivieso’s nepotistic father and club coach, Julio César Baldivieso, a former Bolivian international striker, introduced Mauricio just before half time in Aurora’s 1-0 defeat to FC La Paz on Sunday.
His debut at such a young age easily beat the previous record of Peruvian Fernando García who played his first competitive match in 2001 at 13 years and 11 months for Juan Aurich.
Watch the video below, he doesn’t look all that bad at all for his age but lets be fair, in a country like Bolivia it wouldn’t be a herculean task to deceive someone on the age front. Nevertheless, Obafemi Martins has lied about his age for years now and it never bothered him, he was an integral part of the 08/09 Newcastle side and must be odds on favourite to be the Championship top scorer next year providing he stays clear of dementia and hip problems.
