The 7 WORST Debuts of All Time

TL;DR

Seven footballers had catastrophically humiliating debuts, from goalkeepers conceding seven goals to defenders sent off after 33 seconds.

Key Points

• 1.#7 Francis Coquelin (Arsenal): Made his league debut in Arsenal's 8–2 loss to Manchester United in 2011, was subbed off at 62 minutes, and later received a brutal dismissal in Ferguson's autobiography — despite going on to make 160+ appearances at the Etihad.
• 2.#6 Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands): At age 17, was at fault for two goals inside 20 minutes against Bulgaria in a 2–0 World Cup qualifying loss, was subbed at halftime, got the manager fired, and cost the Netherlands a World Cup spot.
• 3.#5 Herman Rulander (Werder Bremen): Made his Bundesliga debut in 1981 against Frankfurt, was withdrawn with Werder trailing 7–2, and the team went on to lose 9–2 — their heaviest ever Bundesliga defeat. He never played for the club again.
• 4.#4 Jason Crowe (Arsenal): On his career debut, was subbed on in the 90th minute of a League Cup tie and received a red card just 33 seconds later — the fastest red card by a debutant in English football history.
• 5.#3 Marcos Antonio (FC Nuremberg): Aged 29, made two catastrophic under-hit back passes in his first 16 minutes of his Bundesliga debut against Stuttgart, was immediately substituted, and never played in the Bundesliga again.
• 6.#2 Glen Keeley (Everton): Debuted in the Merseyside derby, was sent off in the 32nd minute for denying a goalscoring opportunity, and Everton's 10 men lost 5–0 — still the heaviest home defeat in Merseyside derby history. He never played for Everton again.
• 7.#1 Michael Theoklitos (Norwich City): Debuted in League One against Colchester in 2009, conceded seven goals including two horror errors in the opening 13 minutes, suffered Norwich's heaviest home defeat in over 100 years, and never played for the club again.