The Portuguese youngster scored City’s third against Watford at the weekend and, as he coolly slotted the ball past Jonathan Bond, wrote his name into the record books.
Lopes, aged 17 years and eight days when the ball hit the back of the net – we’ll stop short of adding the hours and minutes to that stat – replaced Ian Thompstone (pictured below) as the Blues’ record holder.
Thompstone, relatively unheralded when you consider the coverage Marcos has received, had held the previous record for some 24 years with his goal at Middlesbrough in April 1988 also from the subs’ bench.
City lost 2-1 that day and Thompstone never played again for the Blues – but what an impact and legacy he left behind!
Dropping down to third youngest scorer is Micah Richards, whose thumping injury time equalising header against Aston Villa in the FA Cup came when he was aged 17 years and 200 days old in February 2006 - a goal that led to a rather, shall we say, infamous live post-match interview on Match of the Day!
Glyn Pardoe, still the Blues’ youngest debutant aged 15 years and 314 days old when he made his senior bow, scored when he was 17 years and 304 days old – a record that lasted some 15 years before record teenage signing Steve Mackenzie (below) found the net in a 2-1 defeat to Spurs in 1979 – he was 22 days younger than Glyn.
So, that’s what the record books suggest – pre-War year stats are inconsistent and, at times, unreliable so we’re crowning Marcos as the youngest of all-time – unless, of course, you know better…?
Glyn Pardoe - remains youngest debutant and was also one-time holder of youngest goal-scorer record
