As Arsenal breezed past Brentford with an emphatic 3-0 victory on Sunday, September 19, 2022, a product of the Gunners’ well-renowned academy was making history as the youngest footballer to play in top-flight English football.
By subbing him on in the 91st minute, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta made Ethan Nwaneri the youngest player to ever kicked a ball in a Premier League match.
With 15 years and 181 days, Nwaneri has etched his name in English football history as the youngest player ever.
The attacking midfielder has been a constant feature for Arsenal’s under 18 and Under-21 and has been billed to take football by storm.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta says he listened to his ‘guts feelings’ by adding him to the squad and bringing him on to make history.
“It was a pure gut feeling, I met the kid and I liked what I saw. He has trained a couple of times with us and I had a feeling yesterday that if the opportunity came I would do it. But I think it sends a strong message about who we are as a club. I told him yesterday he would be with us and he had to be ready. He is ready. When he went on I said ‘congratulations and enjoy it. I don’t know what it is. When I met him, when I looked at him, I had that feeling.”
The Spaniard said: “We want to give opportunities When there is talent and personality and when players love what they do, and when they have no fear, the doors are open for them to explore where they can go.
“All the decisions that we take, that I take, are for the club. It’s not for me, it’s not for the player. It’s because we believe he has a talent that has to be developed incredibly in the next few years and we’ll see how we manage that. Normally it’s not us, normally the players tell you and they mind you, how far you can go on that.”
Who is Ethan Nwaneri
The attacking midfielder was born on March 21 2007 and has risen through the Arsenal academy rapidly.
He made his under-18s debut aged 14 and scored. Last month, he scored for England’s under 17s after coming off the bench.
The youngster is believed to be of Nigerian descent with his parents being Nigerians.
Source; goal.com