Mayo’s All-Ireland win on Sunday was another example that sometimes you can win something with kids, with Kobe McDonald leading the way.
McDonald, along with fellow teenager Darragh Beirne, breathed new life into the Mayo team as they regrouped after the Connacht semi-final defeat to Roscommon to finally get the Sam Maguire win over the line.
There have been few better debut seasons of senior sport; here’s a look across the sporting spectrum.
Kobe McDonald
Where else to start? With a name like Kobe, he was always going to be a star, wasn’t he? It feels hard to believe that he’s still only 18, waiting for his Leaving Cert results, and he’s already been deified in the eyes of Mayo supporters.
The son of legendary Ciarán, Kobe McDonald has been the GAA’s hottest prospect for multiple years, with his clips going viral online.
Fans were heartbroken when he made the decision to go Down Under to Aussie Rules, but St Kilda allowed him one season of Senior Football before heading overseas.
With ‘One Chance’ written on his wrist tape all summer, McDonald took his opportunity and was a key figure in Mayo finally ending the curse and winning their first Sam Maguire in 75 years. He can go off into the sunset knowing he’s done his county proud.
Lamine Yamal
Another teenager who’s lit up the sporting world this summer, Yamal was a key player as Spain won their second World Cup ever. At just 19, there’s no denying that he’s one of the best players in the World, but what’s even crazier is this wasn’t even his best season.
Yamal made his Barcelona debut at the end of the 2022-23 season as a 15-year-old, but when he was introduced to the first team fully that summer, he transformed the club, and later his country.
He notched up 16 goal contributions for the Catalan side, and if people hadn’t heard his name during the season, that summer he made sure of it at Euro 2024.
By the end of the tournament in Germany, Yamal was inarguably Spain’s best attacker as they won their first tournament since 2012, with himself and Nico Williams revolutionising the Spanish attack en route to the triumph.
He was named Golden Boy and was in FIFA’s Team of the Year, all before he was legally allowed to drink.
Jacob Stockdale
A debut season nearly too good to be true, and in the case of Stockdale, maybe too good to replicate.
The Ulster winger burst onto the Test scene after his first season with his province, making his Ireland debut on their 2017 US tour against the Eagles.
What followed in the 2018 Six Nations was simply outrageous. The then 22-year-old could do no wrong as he scored 7 tries as Ireland won their third-ever Grand Slam, doing so in style at Twickenham. He walked away with the Player of the Tournament award.
But, as we all know, since then Stockdale’s career has been stop-start, with his body failing him several times with injuries. He still has the quality, just needs consistency.
Magic Johnson
A rogue shout, but for those who follow US Sports, there were few better rookies on the scene than Magic Johnson when he joined the NBA out of college in 1979.
After starring for Michigan State in college, winning the NCAA Championship, Johnson was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, with him and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominating the league from the off.
The Lakers won what was then only their 2nd title since moving to LA, and Johnson became the first and only rookie to win NBA Finals MVP, shepherding in the ‘Showtime’ era which dominated the next decade.
Joe Canning
Canning’s Galway senior debut was a whole saga in its own right, as fans eagerly anticipated the impact he could have on the senior hurling team from the time he was 17.
It’s crazy to think that he had waited years for his senior Championship debut when he did so aged 20, scoring 2-06 against Antrim. Despite their disappointing exit to Cork, which was a catalyst for the Tribesmen joining Leinster, Canning shone.
He won the Young Player of the Year award and was named an All-Star, even though Galway exited at such an early stage.
As we all know, Canning would live up to the hype, lifting the Liam McCarthy Cup in 2017, ending Galway’s 29-year drought.
Michael Owen
As the man himself said, there’s rarely been a better 18-year-old in football than an 18-year-old Michael Owen. The Liverpool Academy graduate made his debut for The Reds towards the end of the 1996-97 season, scoring against Wimbledon.
However, when he had a full pre-season under his belt, Owen set the Premiership on fire in 1997-98. No defender could handle his pace, and his finishing was to die for. He won the Golden Boot with 18 league goals, and finished off his debut campaign by scoring one of the best World Cup goals ever in England’s defeat to Argentina, finishing off a mazy run which left Argentine defenders clawing at thin air.
His story is a telling tale for young footballers, with his light shining so bright so early. He won the Ballon d’Or at 22, but even he’d admit he was past his best by that point and by 30 he was a shadow of himself as injuries took hold of him.
James Ryan
Not as spectacular as Stockdale, but James Ryan equally had an impressive debut campaign in 2018.
Having been touted as the heir apparent to Paul O’Connell while in St. Michael’s College, Ryan has the distinction of making his Ireland debut before making his senior Leinster debut, featuring on the same 2017 tour of the US along with Stockdale.
Ryan came out of that tour with two International wins under his belt, and winning was something he had the knack of straight away. Ryan won his first 23 games of professional rugby, as Ireland beat the likes of South Africa and won a Grand Slam in 2018, while at Leinster he won the double of Champions Cup and Pro12.
In fact, the only defeat he would have in his first 12 months of men’s rugby was Ireland’s first test defeat to the Wallabies in 2018, a series they’d go on to win 2-1. As they always say, winning isn’t a bad habit to have.
Luke Littler
There’s not one sport in the world more influenced by a teenager than darts is by Luke Littler, they don’t call the sport’s growth ‘The Littler effect’ for nothing.
As a mature-looking 16-year-old, Littler burst onto the scene in his first World Championships, awing crowds with his skill and confidence on the oche as he reached the final.
He came up short to Luke Humphries that night at Ally Pally, but from then on ‘The Nuke’ became the golden goose for the PDC as the sport was built around him, and with good reason.
He won the Premier League of Darts at the first time of asking and has gone on to win back-to-back World Championships, all before turning 20.
