Indian Super League's 16-Year-Old Youngest-Ever Goal Scorer Is Actually 28

In the fall, "16-year-old" Gourav Mukhi became the youngest player ever to score a goal in the Indian Super League. Except he was more than a decade older.

Indian Super League soccer team Jamshedpur goes against Northeast United FC
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Image via Getty/BIJU BORO/AFP

Indian Super League soccer team Jamshedpur goes against Northeast United FC

There's a huge difference between 16 and 28, and the gulf extends beyond the 12 years. It's the difference between adolescence and adulthood—or at least adulthood for some. And there's a physical differentiation that's pretty hard to fake. That's why the soccer story of Indian Super League's Gourav Mukhi baffles the mind. 

Mukhi became the youngest player to score a goal in India's top soccer league,when he nabbed one for Jamshedpur FC back on Oct. 7. Except, Mukhi, alleged to be 16 years old at the time, was actually 28. In fact, he bamboozled former EPL and MLS player Tim Cahill, the Australian footballer who now plays for Jamshedpur:

"This is the best moment of your life," @Tim_Cahill to tonight's goal scorer Gourav Mukhi.

Don't miss the sensational 🤩 scenes from the Sree Kanteerava Stadium after @JamshedpurFC earned a dramatic draw against @bengalurufc.#LetsFootball #BENJAM #FanBannaPadega pic.twitter.com/ULyOxe5uCB

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) October 7, 2018

When the Telegraph India discovered his lie, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) suspended the striker for six months and Jamshedpur FC's title was revoked.

View this video on YouTube

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Watch the 16-going-on-30-year-old score a pair of goals earlier this season before the suspension.

View this video on YouTube

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And here Mukhi's looking every bit the 28-year-old while sporting a serious stache:

Remarkably, this isn't even the first time Mukhi has been busted pretending to be a teenager. In 2015, he was caught trying to represent the state of Kharkhand in an Under-15 tournament.

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