On May 6th 2018, Bali Mumba captained Sunderland on his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship.
The 17-year-old broke onto the scene at the Stadium of Light against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 86th minute as he was handed the captain’s armband by John O’Shea.
Indeed, a lot of supporters knew that their team had a player that has the potential to become a future star of the game, as they stated their delight on Twitter.
What a lad ……! !
— Alan Moore (@alanmoore2312) May 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/RyehillFootball/status/993207733536030721
The Skipper!
— Dannygroves (@dpgroves6) 7 May 2018
Brilliant !
— Matthew (@matt_stancliffe) May 6, 2018
Great to see Bali Mumba making his debut for @SunderlandAFC and also being captain, what a player his gonna be, keep an eye on him, future star player. Well done Bali
— Julio Arca (@julioarcaOK) 6 May 2018
https://twitter.com/chester__matt/status/993198070774091776
Fabulous
— Jacqueline Smiles (@proudmackem1) May 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/onethomasgray/status/993159565066821632
Bali Mumba, who was 16 at the time, became Sunderland’s fourth youngest ever debutant against Wolverhampton Wanderers. And, as if making his debut wasn’t exciting enough, the club’s captain John O’Shea gave his armband to the youngster as he made his way onto the pitch as a substitute.
Sunderland produced Jordan Pickford and have seen the likes of Josh Maja, Lynden Gooch, George Honeyman and Ethan Robson develop in recent times, but none of them have really shown the kind of promise that Bali Mumba is showing at this moment in time.
The midfielder has managed to make five appearances in the first-team this season, which has seen him attract attention from the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea in recent weeks. He started a number of games towards the start of the campaign, but he has had to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench recently.
However, the youngster was rewarded for his breakthrough and impressive performances in the red and white stripes earlier on this season as he signed a new deal the club.
Indeed, it’s clear to see that the teenager has the potential to become one of the best in English football and is already attracting attention from Premier League clubs, so it comes as no surprise that supporters thought so highly of the midfielder after his debut against Wolves.
