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Opinion
Paul Okon needs no introduction.
Having spent 15 seasons in Europe, representing the green and gold multiple times, as well as his coaching exploits, Okon is in the conversation for Australia’s greatest ever footballer.
After an unceremonious and bitter exit as coach of the Central Coast Mariners in 2018, the Okon family packed their bags and moved to Belgium.
Okon’s love of food saw him open up a restaurant called ‘Cuore di Puglia’ in his adopted city of Brugge, where he experienced so much success as a player and the locals are still fond of him.
He is happy to talk about football from the past as well as the present with old and new fans in Belgium – especially when it’s in relation to the buzz surrounding his sons.
All four of Paul’s boys – Paul Jr, Gianluca, Alessandro and Davide – are playing for different age groups in the Club Brugge academy setup.
At 17, Paul Jr is the eldest and recently started in the prestigious 2022 Algarve football tournament in Portugal, where over 400 players and staff took part in Under 16 and 17 tournaments.
The Brugge side had a disappointing tournament, but Jr caught the attention of a team many consider to currently be the leaders in developing youth, Benfica.
OFFICIAL: ???????? Paul Okon (17) has signed for the club, from Club Brugge KV! pic.twitter.com/aejp24uwh6
— Benfica Youth (@SLBenficaYouth) July 19, 2022
Many of the world’s best players came through their academy, netting the club a mind boggling $AU1 billion in transfer fees since 2015.
Okon Jr is similar to Okon Sr in that he is capable of playing as a centreback, as well as in central midfield. He also shares his father’s comfort on the ball – so much so that he will regularly start attacks from deep.
Jr has good range and weight when it comes to long passes with his cultured left foot, which is unusual for players in his age group – they tend to develop this skill as they grow older.
Like many Australians teenagers, Okon Jr has the strength, fitness, and agility to mix it up with his new teammates but there are still facets that Benfica will hope to polish.
Benfica are the current UEFA Youth League champions and it will be difficult for Jr to break into the starting XI in Europe’s best academy side.
Meanwhile, Okon Sr is experiencing a career renaissance in coaching.
Earlier this year he was part of an Australian football identification camp in Holland and has recently taken on the assistant managers role of his ex-side, Club Brugge.
As Paul Jr leaves childhood to become a man, he will be without his famous father for the first time in his football journey, and will need every bit of resilience that his dad was known for – living in a foreign country and competing with Europe’s best young players.
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