You might have missed it, and if you were born the other side of the turn of the century, there’s a good chance this will make you feel quite old.
On Wednesday evening, as Metz v Bordeaux ran its course in France’s Ligue 1, 16-year-old Vincent Thill became the first player born this millennium to appear in any of Europe’s top five leagues.
The attacking midfielder came on as a substitute as Metz lost 3-0, and made us all consider calling time on any fading hopes of a Premier League appearance.
Substitution On – Vincent Thill (Metz 0 – 3 Bordeaux)
— BettracksScores (@BettracksScores) September 21, 2016
A millennial, playing top-level football.
Metz might be being smashed but VINCENT THILL IS ON FOR HIS DEBUT! Keep an eye on him – he will be MASSIVE!
— Jeremy Smith (@jeremysmith98) September 21, 2016
Can we get some confirmation on this? Are we sure he’s 16?
Vincent #Thill est le 1er joueur né dans les années 2000 à jouer en @Ligue1 et dans l'un des 5 grands championnats européens ! pic.twitter.com/yb1YYkD5rj
— FC Metz (@FCMetz) September 22, 2016
Yep – he was born on February 4, 2000.
Metz winger Vincent Thill last night became the first player to be born in the year 2000 to play in Ligue 1.
Now we feel old… pic.twitter.com/f3bUXLUKPo— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) September 22, 2016
And that’s not even the full story. Thill has already made four international appearances for Luxembourg, scoring in a friendly against Nigeria in May this year.
We feel for Metz left-back, Franck Signorino, who turned 35 on September 19. That means he was 18 when Thill was born. Sorry Franck.
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