In October, David Gerasimou wrote history by becoming the youngest player in European Cup history. Now 16, the AEK Larnaka left-winger is still relatively unknown outside of Cyprus but on the island is being compared to Ángel Di María. Not surprisingly, Gerasimou is already being linked with teams from the top five leagues. Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach and several Premier League clubs have shown interest.
Gerasimou was born on Nov. 2, 2009, in Larnaka and holds a Cypriot passport and Lithuanian citizenship, as his mother is from the Baltic country. The forward has been part of Larnaka's academy since the age of ten and has represented Cyprus at the youth level. Gerasimou has scored three goals in five games for the U16 and another two in five games for the U17.
In the Cypriote league, where Larnaka are four points behind Pafos after matchday 12, he has made the bench without coming on. It is a different story in the UEFA Conference League. There, Gerasimou made his debut in October. In the 4-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, Gerasimou was brought on in the dying moments of the game and at aged 15 and 11 months became the youngest player across UEFA's club competitions. That record was broken in November, when Arsenal talent Max Dowman made his Champions League debut. After wins against Alkmaar and Crystal Palace (1-0) and a draw against Aberdeen (0-0) and Rijeka (0-0) Larnaka haven't conceded a goal and with eight points from four games have a good chance to make it to the next round. A good opportunity for Gerasimou to collect further minutes.
Either way, back home, he is already being compared to the biggest names in football. "Gerasimou is a bit like Di María," Transfermarkt data scout and Cyprus expert Chrisraou7 said. "He is left-footed, explosive, technically gifted, pretty fast, and can play in the middle and on the flanks. He is a typical attacking midfielder, unpredictable and full of energy. While it isn't expected that he will become a regular starter any time soon, he seems to be on the right path. Big clubs from Greece showed interest a year ago."
Transfermarkt data scout and Cyprus expert xristozzz_k_ is hopeful about Gerasimou. "In my opinion, he is really talented and hopefully can become a leader of the Cypriote national team and lead them to a big tournament." Cyprus is currently ranked 128th in the FIFA World Ranking. The country has never qualified for a major tournament and finished fourth in its World Cup qualification group, which also included Austria, Bosnia, Romania, and San Marino.
"Gerasimou is very aware, has perfect vision for his teammates, and is very mature for his age," xristozzz_k_ said. "He can play anywhere in the attack. A gifted and talented player. It isn't a coincidence that he debuted at such a young age against Alkmaar. If his career goes as planned, without any setbacks, then he has the chance to become the most valuable player in Cyprus' history." Fabiano currently holds that record. The former Porto star reached a market value of €6.5m in July 2015.