Biography of Noé Okafor | Age | Career | Goals
Noah Arinzechukwu Okafor (born 24 May 2000) is a Nigerian and Swiss professional footballer who plays for the Swiss national team and Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg as a midfielder.
Biography of Noah Okafor
Noah Arinzechukwu Okafor
May 24, 2000
Swiss-Nigerian
Binningen, Switzerland
South East Nigeria
Winger, Forward
Instagram: noah.arinze
Twitter: @noah_okafor
Youth and education
Noah Okafor was born on May 24, 2000 in Binningen, Switzerland to a Nigerian father (Christian Okafor) and a Swiss mother (Nicole Okafor), as one of five children in his family. When Noah Okafor started walking at the age of eight months, his father discovered that his son had athletic skills. And when two-year-old Noah started riding a bike without training wheels, it’s virtually impossible for a two-year-old anywhere in the world to ride a bike without the support of training wheels.
Career
All he wanted as a little boy was to play on a soccer team. Little Noah decided to visit the neighborhood football field in Arisdorf one day with the hope of joining the neighborhood team. The unfortunate kid had no idea that Markus, the youth coach, would reject him straight away. Without the required football gear, Noah went there. He enjoyed watching other youngsters play football and tried to join them.
Noah had the courage to approach Mark Schweizerthe coach of the Arisdorf club, even though he was aware that he lacked the necessary equipment. Mark Schweizer, FC Arisdorf junior coach, began by examining Noah, then eight years old. The instructor then gave a handshake before telling the youngster he needed the right equipment for football training and should come back if he has indoor shoes and shin guards.
He ran home to lobby his father for kits, which his father obliged and got some sports kits for him. He resumed training to the surprise of the youth coach who brought him into the team.
club career
FC Basel
Okafor made his football debut for the neighborhood club FC Arisdorf. He moved to FC Basel in 2009 and played for all of their youth teams. Okafor signed his first professional contract on January 31, 2018. On May 19, 2018, he made his first appearance for their first team at home against FC Lucerne. The match ended in a 2-2 draw when the coach Raphael Wicky replaced the injured Mohamed Elyounoussi in the 34th minute. On 28 July 2018, in a 1-1 away draw against Xamax in the second round of the 2018–19 season, he scored his first goal for his club.
Basel won the Swiss Cup in the 2018-19 season under coach Marcel Koller. Basel defeated FC Montlingen 3-0 in the first round, Echallens Region 7-2 in seconds, and Winterthur 1-0 in the sixteenth round. If we was beaten 4-2 in overtime in the quarterfinals, and Zürich was beaten 3-1 in the semi-finals. These contests were all played away from home. The league game against Thun took place on May 19, 2019, at the Stade de Suisse Wankdorf in Bern. Basel forward To Albian scored the first goal of the match; Fabien Frei added a second, and Dejan Sorgi added a goal for Thunbut Basel eventually won 2-1. Okafor has appeared in four cup contests and scored against Zürich in the semi-finals.
Red Bull Salzburg
Okafor has signed a contract with Red Bull Salzburg on January 31, 2020. On December 8, 2021, Okafor scored the game’s only goal as Salzburg overcome Seville in the last meeting of the Champions League group stage. With victory, Salzburg qualified for the knockout stages and became the first Austrian team to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League.
International career
Okafor has participated in several international competitions for the Swiss U-15 and U-17 teams. On May 9, 2018, he played in his first match for the U-18 team, a 1-1 draw with the Italian U-18 side. He replaced Haris Seferovic in the 113th minute of the 2019 UEFA Nations League third-place game against England, marking his senior national team debut.
On November 15, 2021, Okafor scored his first goal for Switzerland against Bulgaria in a World Cup qualifier. This victory allowed Switzerland to automatically qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Private life
Noah’s parents, Christian and Nicole Okafor, were not the only carers of Noah Okafor. With his older sister (Sonia Okafor), an older brother, two younger brothers (Isaiah and Elijah), and an older sister, the boy spent his formative years.
Noah likes to keep his relationship life private, but it is known in the media that he is currently in a relationship with a beautiful lady named Alayah Pilgrim.
Honors
Basel
Red Bull Salzburg
- Austrian Bundesliga: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
- Austrian Cup: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
Net value
He has an estimated net worth of $5 million.
Social media handles
Instagram: noah.arinze
Twitter: @noah_okafor
