"Delighted for Christopher that this has finally went through. Thanks to all the people at the FAI for their help and support during this process. With Atherton used as the 'poster boy' for the Euro 2028 campaign, this announcement could be considered a big blow for Northern Ireland."
"The teenager has represented Northern Ireland at Under-16 and Under-17 level and scored one international goal. Atherton moved from Glenavon to Chelsea's academy in July 2025 before signing a professional contract in October and has been a regular in their U17 and U18 sides."
"Atherton made history during his time at the Lurgan Blues in September 2022 when he became the youngest senior footballer in the United Kingdom at 13 years and 329 days old."
Chris Atherton, a 17-year-old Chelsea academy player, has changed his international allegiance from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland. Atherton made history at Glenavon in September 2022 as the youngest senior footballer in the United Kingdom at 13 years and 329 days old. He represented Northern Ireland at Under-16 and Under-17 levels, scoring one international goal. After joining Chelsea's academy in July 2025 and signing a professional contract in October, he became a regular in their U17 and U18 sides. Atherton previously served as a youth ambassador for Northern Ireland at the Euro 2028 bid announcement in October 2023. His switch represents a significant loss for Northern Ireland's youth development program, though the country maintains other promising prospects including Ceadach O'Neill at Arsenal, Michael Forbes on loan from West Ham, and George Feeney at Tottenham.
#international-football-allegiance #youth-development #chelsea-academy #northern-ireland-football #player-transfer
Read at www.bbc.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]