They say if you're good enough, you're old enough - and that's certainly the case for Zayn Ali Salman.
The five-year-old Arsenal fan, has gained more than 7,500 followers on Instagram thanks to his incredible skills - with some dubbing him "Little Messi ".
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He currently plays against kids as old as nine and has received offers from several big clubs, with claims he signed with Arsenal at the age of just four having been involved in their development setup.
But Arsenal have been forced to deny they have already snapped him up before he reaches the Under-9s level where they famed Hale End Academy begins.
A club spokesman told The Sun: “At his current age, Zayn is not part of the official Arsenal Academy.
“He is currently enjoying football sessions at the West London Development Centre, one of the development centres that we run across London, providing local and fun football sessions for Under-6 to Under-8 year olds.
“The youngest age group at the Arsenal Hale End Academy is the under-9 age group.
“Our mission to be the most caring and challenging football academy is reflected in the way we develop our young people.
‘’The priority is to ensure that any child or young person attending the development centres or our Hale End Academy enjoys their football, with a focus on their all-round development and wellbeing.”
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Zayn Ali's old coach Austin Schofield recently told BBC News: "We put him with kids of his age - with the four, five, six year olds - and already he was just head and shoulders above everyone.
"Just a lot quicker than them and a lot more willing to go and get the ball.
"The way he kicks the ball, the way he passes the ball was so much better than everyone else.
"So then we progressed him on. I spoke to his dad and he wanted to try him with the older ones. So I thought, 'Why not? See how he gets on.'"
Zayn Ali's footballing ability caught Arsenal's attention and he was signed by his boyhood club, where he's continued to progress.
Arsenal talent scout Stephen Deans added: "This kid is doing something that he shouldn't be doing. The way he's striking the ball, it just looked too sharp for someone of that age.
"So I called my friend and he just said, 'Look, he's four.' And I said, 'No way he's not. He can't be in nursery. I need to speak to his parents.'
"And from there, now we're here. We brought him into a few of our sessions, as well, and he's actually been doing it in real time, so it wasn't a one off. He's been doing it consistently."
Arsenal could do with "Big Messi" at the moment after struggling to a 2-2 home draw against Crystal Palace on Monday evening, leaving them 12th in the Premier League.
Zayn Ali's father knew his son was special, continuing: "I realised the moment he was born.
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"I remember the nurse put him on his stomach and he literally lifted his head up and started looking around. Even she was shocked.
"You could tell he was very strong from a very young age and, yeah, that kind of set the tone for his upbringing.
"You could kind of see that he was different from all the other kids. And I think what really stood out what his balance, he had unbelievable balance from a very young age."
