Manchester United have "broken shirt number history" to retain one of Carrington Academy’s brightest young talents. JJ Gabriel, the 14-year-old wonderkid, has already earned the nickname "Kid Messi," with coaches at the club’s famed academy tipping him as the next in a long line of superstars to roll off United’s successful conveyor belt.
Gabriel made his under-18s debut back in April, scoring twice in a 13-1 thrashing of Leeds (watch his highlights below). The son of former Republic of Ireland international Joe O'Cearuill, he also recently signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with Nike. According to the Daily Mail, United have now secured him to a deal that keeps him out of reach of rival English clubs thinking about plotting a raid.
A photo has since emerged of Gabriel in United’s new training kit after the deal was completed, wearing the number 95. That makes him the highest-numbered player in Man United’s history. The previous record was held by young centre-back, Godwill Kunoki, who was given the number 87 last season. and remains on the books.
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"Kid Messi" Signs Deal With Manchester United
He has been given the club's highest-ever shirt number in the process
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim
Alfie Brooks, who has worked with Gabriel as his specialist one-to-one coach, believes the wonderkid's technique is already good enough for the Premier League. "When he first started training, [his competitiveness] was the standout attribute," Brooks said, as per the Mirror.
"I've coached nearly 1,000 academy players over my time - four of them in Josh Nichols (Arsenal), Josh Acheampong (Chelsea), Sydie Peck (Sheffield United) and Tyrique George (Chelsea) have made their senior debuts - and JJ is the best I've ever seen.
"He could go into a Premier League changing room right now and technically he would be better than all of them. It wouldn't even be close."
In just 71 minutes across three appearances in the Under-18s Premier League - a competition he’s still eligible to play in for the next four years, should he need that much development - the young forward has already scored three goals, averaging a strike every 24 minutes in a league typically dominated by older players.
But his rapid rise through the club’s youth ranks comes as no surprise. At just six years old, he spent an entire week perfecting his keepy-ups until he could hit 1,000 without stopping. By age nine, he went viral in a YouTube video under the moniker ‘Kid Messi’ - a nickname he’s since been keen to shed, especially after striking up a friendship with Cristiano Ronaldo Junior during their brief time together in the academy. See them posing with their shirts below:
Presented together at Old Trafford with the No. 7 (Ronaldo) and No. 10 (Gabriel) shirts, they grew close and would often spend time together away from the pitch at Ronaldo Sr.’s seven-bedroom mansion. The Portugal and United icon even took a shine to young Gabriel, gifting him a signed shirt as a parting gesture before his move to Saudi Arabia in 2023.
That moment, in itself, could one day be seen in the same light as when Lamine Yamal was bathed by Lionel Messi - a random happening that now weirdly makes sense, with the young Spaniard in the running for this year's Ballon d'Or. If the hype around Gabriel proves justified, many believe he could be the best thing to ever emerge from Carrington.