Who is Mateo Apolonio? 14-year-old becomes youngest debutant in Argentine top-flight history overtaking Sergio Aguero's 21-year record

Deportivo Riestra wonderkid Mateo Apolonio smashed a 21-year-old record by becoming the youngest player to appear in a top-flight game in Argentine history at just 14 years and 29 days. The previous record holder was Manchester City legend Sergio 'Kun' Aguero, who was 15 years and 33 days old when he made his debut for Independiente.

A midfielder by nature, he rose quickly through the youth ranks at the club due to his impressive understanding of the game. Even though the ceiling of his potential is still very far with great scope for improvemet, his comprehens of footballing basics seems to be very sound.

Apolonio came on in the 84th minute of Riestra's 1-0 loss to Lionel Messi's boyhood club Newell's Old Boys in the Round of 16 of the Copa Argentina. He replaced attacker Gonzalo Bravo, who is a staggering 20 years senior to him.

He looked sprightly in his six minutes of action, being deployed as a wide midfielder on the left flank. Despite not being greatly involved in his side's play, he diligently marked the opposition and was positionally ready to sweep in the rebound from a few set-pieces.

Newell's Old Boys' manager Mauricio Larriera was impressed by Apolonio's debut, but claimed that they approached him as any other player in the opposition. He said:

"There is a reason the boy played and participated, we had to mark him with the same force with which we mark a 38-year-old player. I like it when kids debut, but he seemed very small to me. I don’t know how the footballers felt it, but in the heat of the fight they didn’t notice it."

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"My father was crying on the phone" - 14-year-old Mateo Apolonio talks about his professional debut

14-year-old wonderkid Mateo Apolonio made his professional debut for Deportivo Riestra in their 1-0 defeat against Newell's Old Boys in the Copa Argentina. In doing so, he became the youngest debutant in Argentine top-flight history, breaking Manchester City legend Sergio 'Kun' Aguero's 21-year-old record (15 years, 33 days).

With Riestra mainly focused on their Primera Division campaign, they called up a whole host of young talents from the youth ranks for their cup fixture. Among those youngsters was Apolonio, who came on for the last six minutes of the game.

Before the game, a video of the youngster's reaction was posted online by the club's social media handles. It showcased his emotions and the moment when he got to know of his first-team call up. He said:

"I was in the living room of my house, my mother called me and my father was crying on the phone. And there he told me: You were call to the first division squad. It is a unique experience and no matter what happens, it will be a beautiful memory for me."

At just 14 years of age, Apolonio has time on his side to hone his skills and mentality to attain the incredible potential that he possesses.