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:
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his lie, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) suspended the striker for six months and Jamshedpur FC's title was revoked.
Watch the 16-going-on-30-year-old score a pair of goals earlier this season before the suspension.
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.