MEET THE YOUNGEST 23 YEARS OLD CHAIRMAN IN BRITISH FOOTBALL, DAVID SHARPE

David Sharpe (born c. 1992) is a football club chairman with Wigan Athletic.

Sharpe who was educated at Shrewsbury School is the grandson of former chairman Dave Whelan and was appointed as Chairman on his grandfather's resignation in March 2015. At age 23, he became one of the world's youngest football bosses

His grandfather. Dave Whelan's dream of retiring and placing his grandson in charge of Wigan came true on Tuesday when David Sharpe was formally introduced as the club's new chairman.

The 23-year-old has a big job ahead of him with the Latics languishing in the Championship's bottom three after relegation from the Premier League in 2013.

Here. Sportsmail takes a closer look at the man tasked with reviving Wigan's fortunes. One day my (grand)son this will all be yours

Whelan identified Sharpe as a successor as long ago as 2011. According to a club insider he intensified his efforts to show him the ropes in the last 12 months. 

Sharpe's all access pass, however, did not go down well with everyone. One former employee quipped: 'He was turning up in places you would not expect to see the chairman himself, let alone his grandson.'

A Sharpe cookie:

Sharpe, 23, attended Oxford Brookes University, failed to finish his studies - but has since impressed his granddad with his business acumen.

Whelan clearly feels comfortable with handing over the reins despite Sharpe's tender years and has often been heard singing his praises.

While most of us dread Christmas presents from the grandparents, Sharpe has no such issues.

No for him white socks or beige knitted jumpers. On December 24 last year Sharpe unwrapped a gift most could only dream of - a place on the board at a Championship football club.

 It was something special.

"We were all in the royal box and I think we are the only people to ever have done shots in the royal box after the game.

'We put our Wigan stamp on it by doing some jagerbombs."

'I'm a single lad and enjoy nights out'"I'm a single lad so I do enjoy a night out every now and again, but you're sometimes seen doing things you shouldn't on a night out.
I want my stamp on the club
David Sharpe: Wigan's 23-year-old chairman, is Breaking Bad mad and once cost granddad Dave Whelan £1.3m

Despite the responsibility of running a football club David told us he is still a normal 24-year-old at heart and enjoys doing the things most people his age do.

"A couple of years ago I was probably going out and enjoying myself more, now I have to think about things.

"You just have to be careful as to how you live your life."

"It was something that I knew was coming because he had been speaking to the press about wanting me to take over eventually.

"I tried to make him stay on because everyone loves him in the town, but I couldn't change his mind. So I just thought, 'I want to get at it and give it the best I can.'"

David's father died when he was younger and it's clear he has a close bond with his granddad.

"When my father passed away we all came closer as a family.

"He's a special guy and I love him."

"A lot of people think, 'How can a 23-year-old run a football club?' but these days people buy football clubs who have never watched a game in their life.

"Even when they do own the club they still don't go to games.

"I've been nurtured, so to speak, to run a club. I don't see it as a job, I see it as a hobby, a lifestyle. It's not going into "work". It's going into something that I love."

"When I speak to people about football they are respectful of my knowledge," he said.

David Sharpe thanked fans a year after taking over from his granddad Dave Whelan.

"I am a lot more hands on than other chairmen might be. I'm in at 9am, leave at 5pm. I go to dinner meetings with agents.

"I want to oversee everything. I want it to be my stamp on the club.

"Age is a number. In terms of football experience I've got a lot more than a lot of people."

David Sharpe was 23 last March when he took over from his granddad, Dave Whelan, at League One's Wigan Athletic.

Speaking to Newsbeat, David insisted that he already has a lot more experience than some others in his position.

"People might have thought I'd be a bit of a pushover but I think they've learnt quickly that I'm not."

But the lifelong Wigan fan admits: "You can't just walk into a club and act like a kid throwing your arms about.

"You have to earn people's respect and I hope I'm doing that."

David has been supporting Wigan since he was four and was once a mascot for the club, walking on to the pitch with his granddad.

How I love my granddad

Reflecting on his first 12 months in charge at the DW Stadium, David told us he wasn't surprised when his granddad asked him to take over the club.

FACTS ABOUT DAVID SHARPE

·     David Sharpe is the new chairman of Championship club Wigan Athletic

·     He replaces his granddad Dave Whelan, who has stepped down aged 78 

·     Sharpe has been working behind the scenes at Wigan for the past year

·     He enjoys skiing, jogging and regularly goes to the gym

·     He set up restaurant Sharpy's near the DW Stadium but it closed last year

·     When he was still 23, he appointed 32years old Garry Caldwell as Wigan’s new manager, giving the club’s Chairman and manger a combined age of 55.

·     He was 13 when Wigan was first promoted to Premier League in May 2005

·     His younger brother is also on the board of the club

·      He enjoys listening to RnB and Deep House

Curled from BBC NEWS