AC Milan's forward, Noah Okafor was recognised first by Markus Schweizer, former coach of the youth teams at FC Arisdorf. Here are his words to the microphones of SportItalia.com
Could you tell us more about what happened on the day you first met Okafor?
"It's a wonderful anecdote: I was coaching slightly older boys, and that afternoon we were indoors due to bad weather. Noah was eight years old and showed up without football shoes and shin guards. He asked to join us for training and matches. I had to tell him that unfortunately he couldn't without football shoes and shin guards. So Noah went home, convinced his father to take him to a sports equipment store, and after just an hour, with gleaming eyes, he appeared in front of me again. I allowed him to play in the final match. From that moment, I understood that this boy was truly special! And indeed, in the following six months, he brought us a lot of joy as a forward in the indoor tournaments our team participated in. Noah was already physically superior to his opponents, so with a heavy heart, I recommended him to Marco Otero, who was responsible for Basel's training at that time (now he is the Technical Director of Valencia's Academy). So he joined Basel's Under 9 team, and a football star was born."
What kind of person is Okafor?
"Friendly, modest, focused, and determined. A family man."
And from a sports perspective, what does he excel in?
"In attentiveness: he's always very focused, and as soon as he feels the grass under his feet, he bursts with energy. He's an extraordinary football talent that's maturing. Additionally, with his hammer-like shots (both left and right), he becomes dangerous from the 16-meter line, he has good overall vision, and he's strong and cunning with the ball."
What do you think about his journey with FC Basel?
"It takes incredible determination to go from Under-9 to the first team as a professional footballer. Even when he had a painful infection in the pubic bone at 16 and took almost a year to recover, he persevered with the support of his family."
His present is Milan. What should Rossoneri fans expect from Okafor?
"If he settles well into the team (as it seems he's doing in California right now), if the coach supports him, he can score many goals and provide moments of great football. Noah has a goal: to win the UEFA Champions League. If he stays healthy, why not try it with Milan?"
He took his first football steps at FC Arisdorf. What kind of organization are we talking about?
"We're talking about a small football club near Basel with a relatively simple structure. The football field with the gym and changing rooms is next to the school building. In winter, the sports hall is also used. Since children always play football during school breaks and every free minute, some of them have had the chance to become good footballers and athletes. Since FC Arisdorf has 'only' youth teams, the boys then have to move to bigger clubs where they play successfully in regional leagues. Even Noah's two brothers, Elijah, now at Biel, and Isaiah, at Bayer Leverkusen Under 19, started playing football at FC Arisdorf."
