Is Arsenal’s latest prodigy, Galindo, an age cheat?

Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal scouting network are well known for unearthing the best young footballing talent in the world - but it appears that they may have been hoodwinked by their latest discovery, Bolivian Samuel Galindo.

The player, who represented his country at the South America Under 17 Championships earlier this year and is captain of the Under 20 side, claims to be 17 years old, but according to Bolivian TV network El Deportivo he is actually 20.

The station has a copy of what it says is Galindo's actual passport, which gives his date of birth as April 18, 1989. That means Arsenal's latest prodigy will turn 21 in two months, and is actually older than first teamers like Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs.

The passport Galindo has shown to officials says he was born on 18 April 1994. But El Deportivo have dismissed that document as a fake. The TV station has also made similar claims about one of Galindo's international team mates, Carlos Castro - but the Bolivian FA did not follow up the reports.

The latest allegations could prompt an investigation into player registration in Bolivia. And if it emerges that Galindo has been lying about his age it could jeopardise his move to Arsenal.

Arsenal had accepted Galindo's stated age even though he stands well over six foot tall. His stamina and vision also impressed Wenger and had prompted comparisons with Patrick Vieira.

While most teenagers would be delighted to be thought of as a couple of years older than they really are the opposite is often true of footballers, and age cheating has become something of a problem at youth tournaments. Nigeria dropped 15 players from its squad of 36 before the Under 17 World Cup last year after they failed age tests. ·