After Talia Younis made history over the weekend by becoming the youngest player in A-Leagues history, aleagues.com.au looks at what became of our 10 youngest players of all-time.
Western Sydney Wanderers teenager Talia Younis took home a slice of history on Sunday, when she became the youngest player in the history of the A-Leagues.
Younis’ debut means she broke a 15-year-old record held by Matildas superstar Sam Kerr and by the same token, became the first ever 14-year-old to play in the competition.
In the wake of her maiden appearance, aleagues.com.au takes a look at what became of the 10 youngest players in A-Leagues history, a list dominated by Liberty A-League representatives with the youngest in Isuzu UTE A-League history, Teeboy Kamara, just missing out.
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10. Emily Condon (Adelaide United)
Emily Condon has the title of Adelaide United’s youngest A-Leagues player, after debuting in a 2-0 win over Canberra United in January 2014.
Condon, who was 15 years, 126 days at the time, has gone on to make close to 100 appearances for the Reds.
She’s still currently part of Adelaide’s 2023-24 squad, but is slowly making her way back from a groin injury.
9. Sofia Sakalis (Melbourne City)
Sofia Sakalis became one of the youngest players in Melbourne City history, when she also came on in a 5-2 victory over Newcastle Jets in November 2017.
Sakalis debuted at 15 years and 124 days old and went on to make five appearances during her time with the club. She has since joined Perth Glory, where she’s become a regular in Alex Epakis’ side.
The attacker’s rise was also documented on ABC’s KICK!, alongside Nia Stamatopoulos and a host of other talented youngsters.
8. Whitney Knight (Melbourne Victory)
Whitney Knight became Melbourne Victory’s youngest ever player at 15 years and 115 days in October 2015, coming on in a 2-1 loss to Melbourne City.
Knight capped off her memorable debut with a late consolation goal in the contest. She went on to make 11 appearances for Victory, either side of a knee injury playing locally with Geelong Galaxy.
Knight also spent time at Melbourne City and Brisbane Roar without making appearance and was also courted by Gold Coast Suns’ AFLW side, before returning to play locally in Queensland with Lions FC and Capalaba FC.
She also played at the same NTC championships in 2017 on the Victoria team alongside the likes of Kyra Cooney-Cross, Sofia Sakalis, Leia Varley, Claudia Mihocic, Francesca Iermano and Sarah Cain.
7. Lia Muldeary (Melbourne City)
Lia Muldeary made her Liberty A-League debut in November 2017, also coming on in Melbourne City’s 5-2 victory over Newcastle Jets.
Muldeary was 15 years and 112 days old when she took the field that day, but went on to make only one more appearance in City blue in the 2017-18 campaign, before returning to the club in the 2020-21 season – where she featured another four times.
The full-back now plies her trade for reigning NPLW Victoria premiers FC Bulleen Lions.
6. Emily van Egmond (Newcastle Jets)
Another Emily van Egmond made her debut on the opening weekend of the Liberty A-League in October 2008.
Van Egmond debuted at 15 years and 106 days in Newcastle Jets’ 2-1 win over Canberra United, a day after her soon-to-be national team teammate Sam Kerr made her competition bow.
She has gone on to become one of the country’s most talented players, representing Australia 127 times and winning the Julie Dolan Medal in 2014.
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5. Nia Stamatopoulos (Melbourne City)
Melbourne City handed a debut to Nia Stamatopoulos in October 2018, becoming the club’s youngest ever player in a 2-0 defeat to Canberra United at 15 years and 96 days.
Stamatopoulos made another three appearances for City, before joining Brisbane Roar, where she featured four times in the 2021-22 season.
Her career has been riddled by injuries, last playing for Alamein in NPLW Victoria in 2022.
The midfielder’s journey through the ranks was documented on ABC’s KICK!, alongside Matildas star Kyra Cooney-Cross, Melbourne Victory’s Paige Zois, Perth Glory attacker Sofia Sakalis and Adelaide United’s Alana Jancevski, to name a few.
4. Angelique Hristodoulou (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Angelique Hristordoulou joined the list of youngest ever players when she debuted a month earlier than Alyssa Rose for Western Sydney Wanderers.
Incredibly, Hristodoulou was one day older than Rose when she debuted at 15 years and 85 days, in a 2-2 draw with Melbourne Victory in December 2016.
She has gone on to play for both the Wanderers and Sydney FC, and was part of the Sky Blues’ Championship winning side in the 2018-19 season.
Hristodoulou returned to the Wanderers for the 2022-23 season and made 10 appearances before being released at the end of the campaign.
3. Alyssa Rose (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Western Sydney Wanderers handed a debut to 15-year-old Alyssa Rose in January 2017 as she made the first of only two appearances in red and black.
Rose came off the bench in a 3-0 loss to Brisbane Roar; at the time, she was the second youngest player in A-League Women’s history at 15 years and 84 days.
The midfielder held the title of youngest Wanderers player of all time for almost seven years, until Younis’ debut on the weekend.
She has gone on to play locally for the likes of Blacktown Spartans in NPLW NSW, along with NPLW Victoria outfits Heidelberg United and most recently, Southern United.
2. Sam Kerr (Perth Glory)
Matildas superstar Sam Kerr’s journey started all the way back in season one of the Liberty A-League, debuting in Perth Glory’s 4-0 loss to Sydney FC.
Her debut meant she would hold the title of the youngest ever player on debut in the history of the competition for almost 15 years.
1. Talia Younis (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Talia Younis made history on the weekend when she became the youngest player in A-Leagues history.
Aged 14 years and 361 days, the Western Sydney Wanderers teenager, breaking a record set by Sam Kerr in 2008.
Younis signed for the Wanderers in July after training with the Wanderers Academy boys squads for four seasons and it took until just Round 2 for the 14-year-old to claim a special slice of A-Leagues history.
She came off the bench to replace Melissa Caceres in the 54th minute of the Western Sydney’s 3-0 loss to Wellington Phoenix at CommBank Stadium on Sunday.
Incredibly, Younis is the competition’s first player to be born after the league started.
