Moukoko’s not the only one: Other footballers accused of lying about their age

The debate about the age of some football players is something that is always talked about, even in any sports discipline. Many have been rumored to be younger than they really are, and the last to be accused of this is Youssoufa Moukokowhere a German medium assures that he is 22 years old and not 18. But this is not the first where this happened and here are other cases discussed:

Radamel Falcao

Colombia

Oddly enough, Radamel Falcao has been hounded for a while about being older than he actually says. This happened when he signed for Monaco. In Colombia it began to be said that he was two years older than he declared. He himself promised to reject it with his birth certificate.

2

Renato Sanchez

Portugal

One of the most recent cases is that of Renato Sanches. The Portuguese, who signed for Bayern Munich as a teenager after one season at Benfica, was accused of being 24 years old instead of 18. Everything remained a rumor because no one could prove it.

3

joseph minala

Cameroon

One of the most famous cases. Joseph Minala went viral after having a photo of himself as a Lazio player with many doubting that he is 17 years old. He has just been promoted to the first team but his face looks like a veteran. No one proved that he was lying.

4

Samuel Eto’o

Cameroon

One of the best forwards in history is in the eye of the storm regarding his age. It was then that he was at the end of his career, after leaving Inter at the age of 29, when he was questioned over some joking remarks by Mourinho saying that he did not know whether he was 32 or 35 years old. It has not been proven that he is lying.

5

Gaurav Mukhi

India

One of the few cases that can be proven. The Indian footballer says he is 16 years old when in reality he is… 28! He even played for his country’s Under-15 team at the age of 24. He was allowed six months without playing.

6

Taribo West

Nigeria

Although this is a case that has not been heard much, the truth is that it has a tail. The president of Partizan Belgrade assured that, once West was not in the team for many years, his age was lowered by 13 years. It has never been tested.

7

Freddy Adu

USA

The first major crack project to emerge in the United States, dubbed the ‘North American Pelé’, was also accused of lying about his age. He was born in Ghana and became a very precocious phenomenon, with a dominant physique, which raised suspicions about his date of birth. It has not been proven that he lied.

8

Obafemi Martins

Nigeria

No one can surpass him in Pro Evolution Soccer. The soccer player, who went through an endless number of teams, claimed to have been born in 1984 but the Nigerian federation at the time said he did so in 1978. Then they backtracked, but doubts remained there.