Sammy Harvey: Meet the 14-Year-Old Turks and Caicos Islands International Goalkeeper

Excerpt and Photo from bbc.com

The thoughts of most 14-year-olds will be on getting their homework done, or playing video games with friends.

But for Sammy Harvey, that was the age he was making his international debut.

The teenage goalkeeper started for the Turks and Caicos Islands last month in their Concacaf Nations League match against Anguilla – whose starting goalkeeper in contrast was 41.

Unfortunately for Harvey that game ended in a 2-0 defeat, but his team-mates have the chance to gain revenge when the two sides meet again on Sunday (03:00 BST).

“After the first game, I did cry, knowing that my first game was a loss,” Harvey told BBC World Service Sport.

“[My coach] called me that same night to help me get my head back in it and get my head back up, and I was ready.

“I let it sink in knowing that, yes, I did play international level at 14 with a great experience. Let’s get ready for the next one to go again and prove to them that I can play at this level.”

Harvey says his footballing hero is his national team coach, Aaron Lawrence, who played in goal for Jamaica at the 1998 World Cup.

“I’ve watched a lot of his highlights from the World Cup days,” adds Harvey, who says he also admires Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and Manchester City’s Ederson.

The teenager says it was his sister who first got him into football at the age of five, but initially he did not play as a goalkeeper.