Kalman Gerencseri

The native form of this personal name is Gerencséri Kálmán. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Kalman Gerencseri (9 January 1945 – 23 August 2023) was a French footballer who played as midfielder.^{[citation needed]} He is the youngest player to play in the French first division, making his debut on 12 August 1960 at the age of 15 years, 7 months and 12 days.

Kalman Gerencseri

Personal information
Date of birth	(1945-01-09)9 January 1945
Place of birth	Wingles, France[1]
Date of death	23 August 2023(2023-08-23) (aged 78)
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1960–1962	Lens B
1960–1969	Lens	134	(2)
1969–1978	Auxerre
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early and personal life

Gerencseri was born in Wingles, France, to a family of Hungarian miners who had emigrated before the First World War.^[2] While playing in France, he was often known by just "Kalman", as locals found his second name too difficult to pronounce.^[2]

Club career

Gerencseri was called up to the first team of professional club Lens by manager Jules Bigot ahead of a Division 1 fixture against AS Monaco on 20 August 1960, which ended in a 1–0 loss.^[3] In doing so at the age of 15 years and 222 days, he became the youngest player in the history of Ligue 1, a record which still stands, and will forever stand, as the French Football Federation have imposed a minimum age limit of sixteen.^[3][4] This was also the age record for the Top 5 European leagues for over 60 years, until it was broken by Luka Romero in 2020, aged 15 years and 219 days.^[2]

In a nine-year career with Lens, he made a total of 134 league appearances, scoring twice, and played in a further eighteen games in additional competitions.^[2][3] He notably won the 1965 edition of the Coupe Charles Drago, and featured in a 5–1 friendly loss to the Hungary national football team during their preparation for the 1966 FIFA World Cup.^[2] Following his departure from Lens in 1969, he spent seven years with Auxerre in the second and third divisions of French football, before retiring in 1978.^[3]

Death

Gerencseri died on 23 August 2023, at the age of 78.^[5]