‘If you’re good enough, you’re old enough’ or so goes the old footballing adage.
But even with this in mind Celtic fans must have been surprised to see teenage wonderkid Karamoko Dembele get a run-out in the Hoops’ U-20 game against Hearts.
While it’s not unusual for clubs to throw talented youngsters into the mix alongside players pushing for first team football, Dembele’s inclusion – even on the bench – for Tommy McIntyre’s side must have been a shock.
Karamoko Dembele est entré en jeu ce soir avec les U20 du Celtic à seulement 13 ans ! pic.twitter.com/psfx1h2SNE
— BeFootball (@_BeFootball) October 3, 2016
The young star is just 13 years old. He’s barely started secondary school and yet he made his first appearance for Celtic’s development side in a game at Cappielow.
Just think back for a moment to what you were doing when you were 13. You probably weren’t making your debut in the development squad for a Scottish top flight side managed by Brendan Rodgers.
We imagine you were probably just getting the hang of Snake 2 on your old Nokia and trying your first cigarette out behind the school bike shed.
But Dembele, who has made a name for himself at youth level, was thrown into the fray by McIntyre with nine minutes to go when he replaced 16-year-old Jack Aitchison in the 3-1 victory, according to the Daily Record.
ICYMI: Karamoko Dembele makes his Celtic U-20 debut … at the age of 13! https://t.co/B5Lc56IDuB pic.twitter.com/V8RbZpfuiA
— Daily Record Sport (@Record_Sport) October 3, 2016
When you see videos of the youngster ripping the piss out of kids his own age, you can perhaps see why Celtic rate him so highly.
The Ivory Coast teenager is so good with the ball at his feet that coaches felt he could mix it with players seven years older than him.
To put his appearance into context, The Lisbon Lions 1967 Facebook group said: “This boy is special, it’s really unusual for a boy of 13 to play for the U-20s. To put it in perspective, Kristoffer Ajer plays in that team and he’s 6ft 5in.”
Just look at that footwork though…
Celtic's 13-year-old wonderkid Karamoko Dembele has just came off the bench for the Under-20s. Here is why… pic.twitter.com/qttJtTkWMp
— Scottish Sun Sport (@scotsunsport) October 3, 2016
It’s safe to say that Celtic fans were blown away by the young star…
https://twitter.com/CelticArchives/status/783044371797213184
Such a baller and he's 13 years old ⚽️🔥 https://t.co/Phym5BS5pj
— Ryan Brown (@Rizla_BA) October 3, 2016
Dembele's looking like the next big thing in footy, just like the ronaldo name back then
— 🌹 (@mrblairo) October 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/I_Am_SamMeldrum/status/783056055379103745
https://twitter.com/SaoirseT98/status/783055852412473344
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Images via Lisbon Lions Facebook/Twitter
