A Name to Remember: John Bostock

I’ve always enjoyed looking through program guides when I attend a sports game. I like reading about where the players are from, how tall they are, what they would be doing if they weren’t playing soccer, etc. Lately, I have been getting less satisfaction from this because I can’t help but look to see when the players were born and ultimately this just ends up depressing me because players are getting younger and younger and I am not.

John Bostock was born on January 15, 1992. That was approximately the same day I bought the jar of pickles that is still in my fridge. In the 15 years and 289 days since my purchase and since his birth, Bostock has developed into an excellent midfielder. So much so that he made his debut for English Championship side Crystal Palace against Watford on Monday.

Bostock is the youngest player to ever suit up for Palace and the 17th youngest to ever play professional football in England. He has played for England’s U-17 side. His name is starting to spread, which means the inevitable links to clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.

Bostock has been with Crystal Palace since the age of nine and they aren’t especially eager to let him go. Says manager Neil Warnock: “John’s better playing 100 games with us over two or three years than being No. 20 pick at Chelsea or Manchester United, isn’t he? And we’ll keep his feet on the floor.”

Time will tell if he will develop into a household name or whether he will end up forgotten like a jar of pickles, but for now at least he is A Name to Remember.

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Category: England