ddippset:
the puzzle is not whether that picture was taken in 2010 or not, the puzzle is how old was the boy in that 2010 picture?

gazmann:


Silly article really promoted .individual carreer trajectory is hardly an age factor . People of same age with varying work ethic . Motivation and management will always have different carreer length. Some cadet stars never translate to world stars . Argentina brazil and spain have dominated the youth world cups as well yet the stars do not go on to shine. Some i dividuals that had a bad youth tournament even go on and have bogger carreer. Think of some stars like zlatan Aguero yaya toure drogba where not noted for cadet level success even giggs . Shearer cantona . A lot of factors contribute to shotlived or fulfilled carreer not age. Some people who didnt play for golden eaglets or win with their golden eaglets amunike yakubu all had great carreer. Taiwo mikel oruma kanu who won also had. This article doesnt hold water like you said

uduokirika1:
he. Cant be more than 14

TheGoodJoe:


Thank you. Same thing crossed my mind as I watched the Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid Champions League Final.

Anderson of Brazil was the star of the 2005 U17. He was the best player, went on to join FC Porto and later Manchester United. Anderson before joining Manchester United won the Copa America with Brazil. I think he even wore the Ten shirt in the Brazil squad while Ronaldinho was not invited.

Marcelo was not the famous star in that same Brazilian 2005 U17 squad. Today he is far bigger and successful than Anderson.

Going by that article Anderson was overaged.

What will I not read online. Iheanacho who played U20 in 2015 older than Aguero who played U20 with Mikel in 2005.

safarigirl:
shiit article. Failed to reflect the efforts on ground.

Stop reminding us of the likes of Chrisantus and that Stanley fellow. Look at the recent guys, those are people i'm interested in, the new generation

Kelechi older than Aguero? The writer of this article must be a disgruntled, underachieving fellow to write such bollocks.

3 years after the U17, at least we still see Kelechi, can you and the writer tell us what's going on with the Uruguayan captain that accused our team of being cheats? What about Berisha, the Swedish fellow that won top scorer? Where is he? How good is his career?

Nigerians are the ones who go about giving foreigners the ammo to ridicule us. The only reason those accusations were made by the Uruguayan player and the Mexican coach is because it's the easier, most acceptable route to excuse failure.

Why don't you pull out a list of all the countries that have gone for the U17 and the success of players from each set?

this is how you all said Mikel was 30 and had 6 kids in '05....11 years later and my guy hasn't retired from football.

Stop promoting silly articles

safarigirl:
shiit article. Failed to reflect the efforts on ground.

Stop reminding us of the likes of Chrisantus and that Stanley fellow. Look at the recent guys, those are people i'm interested in, the new generation

Kelechi older than Aguero? The writer of this article must be a disgruntled, underachieving fellow to write such bollocks.

3 years after the U17, at least we still see Kelechi, can you and the writer tell us what's going on with the Uruguayan captain that accused our team of being cheats? What about Berisha, the Swedish fellow that won top scorer? Where is he? How good is his career?

Nigerians are the ones who go about giving foreigners the ammo to ridicule us. The only reason those accusations were made by the Uruguayan player and the Mexican coach is because it's the easier, most acceptable route to excuse failure.

Why don't you pull out a list of all the countries that have gone for the U17 and the success of players from each set?

this is how you all said Mikel was 30 and had 6 kids in '05....11 years later and my guy hasn't retired from football.

Stop promoting silly articles

popcykaylah:
those pics doesnt look like 2010 pics...please look at the colour of the photograph and also look at that man's coat ...my grandpa didnt even wear this type of coat in year 2005

ddippset:
my opinion is that he could be as young as 10 and as old as 17. nobody can be too sure. I have seen a lot of 10 year olds look like that, I have also seen a lot of 17 year olds look like that. he's in between. only his mama knows for sure.

nijanigga:

so Nacho will become messi, this guy is a sooth-Sayer.

rabzy:


I don't know where you saw a lot of kids of 17 years that look like that. Do you live in a refugee camp, even there it would be a rarity. Go to any public secondary school and check out ss1 to 3 and honestly come and tell how many boys will look like that.

A 17 year old that looks like that is sick and can't play intense football of any age group.

wayodude:
I like Kelechi and I think he is generally a young guy who has a massive future ahead of him. I am proud he is ours!!

Now back to the 'debate'

Facts:

In 2013 (pre U-17 World Cup kickoff) MRI scans 'confirmed' he was eligible to compete. i.e The experts were satisfied that he was 17 years of age + or - 2yrs. So on this basis in 2013 it is possible he could have been between 15 and 19 yrs old.

The picture shown where he is wearing a Nigeria Football Jersey throws up some confusion. That particular Jersey was designed by Adidas for the Nigerian National teams in 2006. They were used by the Gold Winning 2007 U-17 Team of Yemi Tella which had the likes of Rabiu, Chrisantus, Oseni see that attached pic as proof. Compare the Jersey worn by Nacho and that of 2007 U-17 boys Chrisantus and Rabiu. There are the same abi?

In 2010 (Pre-world cup 2010) the National Team Jersey was still produced by Adidas but it was of a different design. This newer design was issued in 2008. Siasia's U-23s used this Jersey in the Beijing Olymipcs (See attached pic). The Jersey remained unchanged until the 2010 World Cup proper.

So if Kelechi played for a Nigerian team in 2010 he should at the very least have been wearing the same Jersey as the one worn by the 2008 olympic team. However, being that it was an under U-13s team he was playing for it is also possible that 'poor admin' reasons led to his team being given old kit to play in. This is Nigeria.

Conclusion: From the above evidence the worst case Scenario is that Kelechi was 13 yrs old in 2007 which would mean he is 22 yrs old now. Which would then mean he was 19 yrs old when he played the U-17 world cup in 2013, and this would explain why he passed the MRI scan test with the + or - 2 yrs margin.

Thank you.

You can now continue to fight yourselves.

tbaba1234:


So you mean he was 16-18 in the first pic, By 18, most teenagers has stopped growing..

Guy fear God!!!

julioralph:

Oga simply produce 10 students who went to the same high school with him, and the case is settled!!

hes a good player tho

TheGoodJoe:


And Yahaya, Mohammed, Alampasu, Okon are all Ibo boys from Imo State. Na wa.

nkemdi89:

Don't misquote me, I didn't say all.

zicky:
Oga what are you waiting for, start looking for them. I no get work na to begin drag someone's age na me born am ?

TheGoodJoe:


You said in the whole U17, only Nwakali used his real age. Not true because you do not know all of them to ascertain that.

the only player in that under 17 contigent that used his actual age was nwakali.


Followed by because their Ibo boys from your state. Say the one you know or the one you born.

If you believe Nwakali used his real age, there were a lot more in that U17.

nkemdi89:

Why do most of you always attach tribalism to issues? It will interest you to know I am not even from the east, for the fact I am close to them and always like and appreciate doesn't make me a tribalist, I can authoritatively tell you that it was a privilege to be among the people who welcomed our boys back from Abuja after the tournament and we had one on one interaction with all of them from the east.

nkemdi89:

Why do most of you always attach tribalism to issues? It will interest you to know I am not even from the east, for the fact I am close to them and always like and appreciate doesn't make me a tribalist, I can authoritatively tell you that it was a privilege to be among the people who welcomed our boys back from Abuja after the tournament and we had one on one interaction with all of them from the east.

ddippset:
that's the hypocrisy in people like you, Nigerians like you. I was even being very open minded by saying between 10 to 17. You didn't criticize me for saying he could be as young as 10 but you criticized me for saying he could be as old as 17. Go into our rural areas, especially our Nigerian villages and see kids with stunted growth. They are strong but they never grow big enough probably because they eat cassava all day. You have your mind fixated at 14 but I insist that boy could be 10, 11,12, 13,14, 15,16,or 17. Today he might be 19 I don't care, he might also be 23 I don't care. There is no evidence for any body's age. Not mri scan, not some sworn affidavit, not even his mother's testimony. In Europe they get a child registered when they are born but not here.

rabzy:


There is no hypocrisy there. You don't see a lot of kids like that who are 17 years even in the village, yes a few perhaps. We still go to the villages, our fathers and uncles were from the villages they were not stunted. We served NYSC in villages, it would only be rare to see a 17 years old of the height, fresh face like that of kelechi. Such kid would not have the energy to play at that level. Also when you are stunted at 17, 18, 19, you are stunted for life.

rabzy:


There is no hypocrisy there. You don't see a lot of kids like that who are 17 years even in the village, yes a few perhaps. We still go to the villages, our fathers and uncles were from the villages they were not stunted. We served NYSC in villages, it would only be rare to see a 17 years old of the height, fresh face like that of kelechi. Such kid would not have the energy to play at that level. Also when you are stunted at 17, 18, 19, you are stunted for life.

ddippset:
you are wrong, there are a lot of 17 year olds like that. simple!

safarigirl:
NOBODY below 5 ft. 5" at 17 can grow to the heigh of 6 ft. 1" in 5 years or so.

It is not biologically possible. Better stick to your jersey argument and stop trying to convince right-thinking members of society that a 17-year old that small can suddenly get taller by up to 7 inches

ddippset:
you can take your logic and shove it up your 'you know what' . boys grow fastest and mature rapidly between the ages of 16 and 21/22, when they grow a lot of beards. did you skip your biology classes or what? now let me address your mathematics. Do you mean to tell me that a boy cannot grow 7 inches taller in 5 years? 5 years? do you know what 7 inches is at all? 7 inches is just a little more than my biro. a boy cannot grow 7 inches in 5 years? common woman!

safarigirl:
bros, growing beards is not the same as height. My younger brother at 17 was at least 5 ft 8"...I have never seen a 17-year old that short that grew up to 6 ft 1".....NEVER

So once again, stick to your jersey argument or shut your ignorant trap

LouisVanGaal:
This pix CAN'T be in 2010 na..that particular jersey was done by addidas in 2006..@ most d pix is 2007..again, check out dat man's suit...it looks way below 2010

Forzap:





Na dat one I go carry put for head