October 7 – If they’re good enough, they’re old enough goes one of football’s well-known sayings.
Thirteen year-old Karamoko Dembélé made international headlines when he made his debut earlier this week for the under-20 team of Scottish champions Celtic, coming on as a substitute in the 3-1 victory over Hearts.
Born in London to parents from the Ivory Coast, the youngster moved to Glasgow when he was five. Celtic’s under-20s coach, Tommy McIntyre named him on the bench because several regular starters were away playing for Scotland’s Under-19 team and he got his chance in the 81st minute.
Dembélé had already impressed in two youth tournaments during the summer. He won the player of the competition at the Bassevelde Cup in Belgium, and the St Kevin’s Academy Cup in Dublin, which featured youth teams from Barcelona, Lyon and Deportivo La Coruña.
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