Sunderland’s 16-year-old whizzkid Bali Mumba sends fans wild on first start – just weeks after school prom
Teenager impressed on his full debut for the Black Cats in their 2-1 win over Charlton at the Stadium of Light
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SUNDERLAND fans could barely contain their excitement as 16-year-old Bali Mumba put in an A grade performance on his first start for the club.
The central midfielder is yet to receive his GSCE results and attended his school prom in June but gained top marks on his full debut for the Black Cats against Charlton.
The teenager played the full 90 minutes as Sunderland began life in League One with a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light.
Fans were quick to take to social media afterwards to express their excitement about the young prospect, with some comparing their own antics as 16-year-olds with that of Mumba.
The man of the moment made his first team debut in the final game of last season, coming off the bench to replace John O’Shea in the closing stages of the 3-0 win over Wolves.
Incredibly he was handed the captain’s armband by O’Shea – 21 years his senior – making him the club’s youngest ever skipper despite not yet having sat his GCSE’s.
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Mumba has represented England Under-17s and was reportedly being monitored by Liverpool in January.
Clearly a part of manager Jack Ross’ plans after playing a full part in pre-season, Mumba did not look out of depth on his first start showing composure on the ball and gaining plenty of plaudits for his performance.
In the build up to the match, Ross : "You quite often come to a club having heard of a young player and they have a lot of hype around them.
“But you work with him on a daily basis, [you see] not just his ability on the pitch but how mature he is as a character. I've been really impressed by him.”
Charlton opened the scoring on Saturday through Lyle Taylor’s tenth minute penalty before Josh Maja equalised for the Black Cats in the second half and Lynden Gooch scored a stoppage-time winner.