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.
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.
Freddy Jones
Guest
The comments to this article seem to suggest the article might have attracted much more interest if it was about Paul Okon Snr past, present and future than another one about the children of noted or famous players who almost never live up to the hype about their future potential. These types of articles also aren't great for a young footballer's psyche, most of whom are living in the shadow of a well known or famous parent. Once these players have become regulars in the senior ranks, then the shadow starts to disappears as they make a name for themselves on the playing field and develop their own more resilient personalities off the field. The parent who is a name in the sport becomes at this stage a side light, a brief reference relative to the growing accomplishments in their own right of the developed young player.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Buonovaglia the NSL striker, also short stint at Sydney FC has the equivalent at Haberfield Italian cheese shop/deli expanded into a cafe/restaraunt. I use the Paesenella cheese particularly the ricotta you can find in most delis around Sydney.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
The funding was for the pool/medical center from what i remember. I dont see where A-league clubs have received anything . They have taken over some intended for others, or like City group actually paid for everything themselves. The training center expenditure for NRL and AFL is a joke, I watched an AFL program about the coach and team on TV though I couldn't watch it all, they dont seem to know what they are doing obsessed with weird stuff and rituals, what about training and skill development , practising your skills. What you need is an open field and a ball. Why are they spending big money on dumbos who dont know what they are doing. They are like Sam Stosur, looking at themselves in the mirror in the gym having lost the plot.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Do not disagree, these 5 players for a various of problems including injuries, never quite reached their potential.
chris
Guest
You wonder if the war will impact the players going through that academy. And players coming out of that academy. Will they have as free passage through Europe as they did before the war? Anyway take care while over there - don't get yourself drafted into the army! lol
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
jnr is almost identical to senior in a playing sense. he is developing along nicely, however dont count out the other 3 boys who are at various are levels in Brugge's academy sides. - its improbable, but in the next decade there could be 4 okon brothers playing for the green and gold lol people tend to forget that jnr was a part of the wanderers academy side, prior to the move to belgium - where he was languishing. can't comment on his trattoria as i havent been to it, apparently its got very good mozzarella lol
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
injuries (like with many talented australian players in the 90's) shortened/ruined his career i'd be willing to bet with todays advancement (25 years later) in surgery techniques and rehab, that some players careers would've been prolonged
Garry
Roar Rookie
Zelic was the one I thought got away.. he looked like a future Beckenbauer. I think Kewell fulfilled his potential, injuries and the transfer to Liverpool hurt him. He was the playmaker at Leeds but he had no look in for that position at Liverpool..Gerrard ? was there already. Kewell thrived as the fulcrum NOT as a side player.Dukes was always limited but effective & Bozza peaked at World Class before cocaine got to him.
Redcap
Roar Guru
Splendid article, secret one. You paint a tantalising picture of a midfielder in the mould of Xabi Alonso, or even the old man. Left-footed too. I might have to check out that restaurant in Brugge next time I'm over. Thanks for your work.
Marcel
Guest
Likewise...I saw a friendly against Jamaica in Reading...he was the fulcrum of absolutely everything the Socceroos did....a joy to watch.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Chris & SS, I remember Okon, Soccerooos against Ghana, I think a the SFS, he just bossed the game around as if was his own personnel game & allowing a few others to join in. Shame never quite reached the pinnacle, unfortunately same could be said of Zelic, Kewell, Dukes & Bozza. Really only Cahill reached his full potential.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
he always felt that doc did a bad job when they repaired the ligmanets in his right knee, his career in italy could've been longer. funnily enough i actually found a vhs tape when i was clearing out some of my dads things a couple weeks ago - of when okon was man of the match in a pulsating 1-1 with inter okon was playing as deep lying midfielder, pulling the strings and absolutely bossed it
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
he had many many attributes and is a player, that firmly should be near the top when discussing australias greatest ever player
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
like i said, its a skill that not many kids in that age group have - they tend to develope this as they get older. very rare to find in a young player - who can ping a ball along the ground or waist height 40 yards with pinpoint accuracy under/lack of pressure and on the turn. you can see why any club, let alone one of benficas stature at youth level would be interested in players that have that attribute. they will need to lock him down to a position though, is he a #4 or a #6 long term? cant keep shuffling him between positions, its detrimental to his developement. I wrote an article about benfica being the best academy side in europe, they have been for several seasons now and i dont see them slowing down any time soon. they have put a lot of money back into thier youth set up (pitches, class rooms, sleeping quarters, elite european coaching) on top of that, the club is very friendly with well respected agents who always drive up the price when selling players. That algarve tournament where okon jnr was signed from brugge was missing some big sides though. Zenit St Petersburg would've been one of the favourites for that tournament but were banned due to being russian. They are the next big european academy side, some generational youth players are already there. im hoping to spend some time with thier academy when im over there in october, so far im only going to be visiting CSKA's set up
chris
Guest
Punter I remember Okon at Lazio. Dino Zoff knocked on his door and personally asked him to come to Lazio. And remember this was an excellent Lazio team with players such as Nesta, Pavel Nedved and Bepe Signori.
chris
Guest
Those passing ranges from deep lying areas is such a great skill. And I'm not talking about high long bombs that might hit an area, but it takes so long to get there that the defensive shape has time to recover. The ones worth their weight in gold are the players who can drive those balls at waist height or lower and hit it like a tracer. Benfica really punch above their weight. I wonder if its just luck at times at banking on the right junior player. For a long while it used to be Ajax churning them out, but now it looks like it's Benfica.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Interesting article as usual SS. Paul Okon was one special player, very unlike Aussie player, he had poise & time.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
he's going to have a battle to break into that benfica side, which was spanking opponents last season by multiple goals - while beating a who's who of europes elite Eg. juventus, barcelona, sporting the best thing he has going for him though, is that long accurate passing range. that is a skill that is not common amongst young australian players, its something i always pay close attention to when assessing australian centrebacks in the 14-16 age group. its going to be tough without his dad though, ill keep an eye on his progress (as i pay very close attention to benficas youth team)
chris
Guest
If he is anything like his dad he will be a great asset to the Socceroos. There seems to be a lack of deep lying midfielders/central defenders who can play with the ball at their feet. Where are all the Beckenbauers, Nesta's, Chivu's, Hansens, Scireas? Yes there are some excellent central defenders, and who can be a threat on dead balls. But not many have the silky skills to dribble from deep lying areas to break up defensive shapes.
Simmo
Roar Rookie
Worth remembering that CCM received $15m in taxpayer funding for its facilities. Most other AL, NRL, AFL clubs have received similar in NSW - but what did CCM spend that money on? Training grounds? Gym? Nup, a commercial building