George Bello entered the record books on his MLS debut on Saturday night, becoming one of the youngest players in league history to start a match as well as the youngest to start an MLS game in Atlanta United's short existence.
Handed ATLUTD's left back role in their 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake, the 16-year-old Homegrown more than held his own, helping the Five Stripes defense notch their eighth clean sheet of the league campaign, motoring forward to join the attack and earning a standing ovation from the 70,000-plus crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
He even got some PDA from head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino:
Below is a rundown of the company Bello is in, historically speaking.
8 Youngest Starters in MLS History
Player |
Team |
Age |
|---|---|---|
Freddy Adu |
D.C. United |
14 years, 334 days |
Alphonso Davies |
Whitecaps FC |
15 years, 327 days |
Gianluca Busio |
Sporting KC |
16 years, 68 days |
Nikolas Besagno |
RSL |
16 years, 201 days |
Diego Fagundez |
NE Revolution |
16 years, 229 days |
Eddie Gaven |
MetroStars |
16 years, 232 days |
Santino Quaranta |
D.C. United |
16 years, 242 days |
George Bello |
Atlanta United |
16 years, 243 days |
