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Football

08th Jul 2016

Hospital records prove Renato Sanches’ real age

Put to bed

Patrick McCarry

“We live in a cynical world. A cynical world. And we work in a business of tough competitors.”

Jerry Maguire had this sports lark figured out. We take it far too seriously and are sceptical when the good times roll in.

So it went when Renato Sanches ripped home a cracking goal against Poland in the quarter finals. ‘This lad can’t be 18. He’s too damn good.’

Former Auxerre coach Guy Roux added fuel to what had been a murmur about Sanches for the last few years. He assured the press that Sanches was not 18 but ’23 or 24′. Nothing too specific but pretty damaging.

The story has created quite a stir in Portugal, with many journalists doing their utmost to prove Sanches is, in fact, 18.

There was an interview with Benfica from 2010, when he was 13, and DN Desporto went a step further – tracking down his hospital records.

Sanches records

So there you have it – born at 3:25pm on the 18th of August 1997.

Maybe he is that good.

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