5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT NOAH OKAFOR

He’s faced AC Milan - and Italy - as an opponent, but now he’ll wear the Rossoneri shirt. From the past to the present, here are a few facts to get to know Noah Okafor better:

FRIENDS WITH LEÃO
Noah has taken Leão’s (old) number 17 shirt. The Swiss man has been friends with the Portuguese man for a long time, ever since they came up against each other for their respective countries. There’s a feeling of great respect for the duo, who have frequently exchanged messages and calls. Rafa spoke highly of AC Milan to Noah, giving him even more motivation to join the Rossoneri.

A SWISS ROSSONERO
The forward has become the fifth Swiss player to sign for AC Milan: he’s followed in the footsteps of Johann Vogel (2005/06), Philippe Senderos (2008/09), Mattia Desole (2010/11 and 2011/12 in the Primavera squad) and Ricardo Rodríguez (2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 until January).

INNATE TALENT
His father, Christian, was a footballer, as are two of his four brothers (Elijah, a right-back, is currently without a club, while Isaiah is a midfielder for Bayer Leverkusen U19). The former noticed Noah’s predisposition for sport when, at just two years old, he was already able to ride a bicycle without stabilisers. Young Noah turned up at his very first team, Arisdorf, without any boots or shin pads, but his father then sorted him out. After previously sending him away, the coach of the side was quickly amazed at what he could do and recommended him to FC Basel.

A DAMAGING ASSIST
He inflicted damage on Italy in November 2021, providing the assist for Widmer to give Switzerland a momentary lead against the Azzurri on the penultimate matchday of World Cup qualifying at the Olimpico in Rome. The game ended in a draw, but it ultimately proved fatal for Italy, who went on to be eliminated in the playoffs by North Macedonia.

PANINI
He will certainly get to know the famous Italian cuisine soon, even if Nigerian food is his favourite. However, he’s already very familiar with Panini, a publishing house that specialises in the production of stickers and comics, due to the fact he’s a fan of sticker albums.

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