The Talents Calendar
A new generation with familiar names are dominating Australia’s U20 side. A handful of sons and grandsons of former professional footballers are playing for the team and the most notable are Gabriel Popovic, Kane Vidmar, and Paul Okon-Engstler. The latter is considered one of the brightest talents in Oceania and is already following a similar path to his father.
Okon-Engstler, who has the same first name as his father, has been quite the journeyman already. Only 17, he has already played in three different countries—his father, Paul Okon, managed to play for 11 clubs in five countries. The now 50-year-old first became a star at Brugge, where he became the first Belgian footballer of the year not born in Europe in 1995. The defensive midfielder also played in England and Italy alongside big names like Alessandro Nesta, Pavel Nedved, Christian Vieri, Gabriel Batistuta, Mark Schwarzer, and James Milner. In 1996 he was voted Oceania’s player of the year, and in 2009 he was inducted into Australia’s football hall of fame.
Okon-Engstler was born in Belgium in 2005 while his father played for KV Oostende but started his footballing career upon his return to Australia, where Okon senior finished off his career in 2007 at Newcastle United Jets. Like his father, Okon-Engstler first played for Marconi Stallions FC before joining the academy of A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers. In 2019 the entire family moved to Belgium, where Okon senior wanted to kickstart his coaching career, and Okon-Engstler, together with his brothers Gianluca, Alessandro, and Davide, joined Brugge.
“My country is beautiful, but we want to provide our four children with life experiences,” Okon senior said to Het Nieuwsblad. “I moved to Brugge when I was 19, and it helped me with my development.” For Okon senior, it was important that his sons experience different cultures and learned Dutch and French. “My wife Yamaira and I always had a close relationship with Belgium. Our oldest, Paul Jr., was born here in 2005 while I was playing for Oostende. We kinda have a crazy life. I met Yamaira in Italy, and we speak Italian at home. My wife has roots in Cuba, and her family lives in Miami. It might sound crazy, but by living in Belgium, we are now closer to her family than if we would be living in Australia.”
Like father, like son …
While his father is working on his coaching career and also opened an Italian deli right around the corner from Brugge’s Jan-Breydel-Stadium, Okon-Engstler has left a positive impression in the academy of the blue and blacks. “He is a left-footed, more forward-thinking player; those types are always special,” Okon senior said about his son. Like his father, Okon-Engstler plays in the center of the park but more in an attacking role. “My sons had better technical schooling than I had. People think that I named my kids after former top footballers. Paul Junior after myself, Gianluca because of Vialli, and Alessandro because of Del Piero, but that isn’t true. We just like Italian names. I also don’t put any pressure on them. Of course, I hope that my boys make it, but a new Okon is not a priority. As a father, I encourage them but don’t overwhelm them with advice. I am mostly just the cab driver. I also don’t want to become a youth coach at Brugge as that would be a conflict of interest.”
Despite that statement, Okon senior did become a youth coach at Brugge in the summer of 2022. At that point, his son, however, had left the club. Benfica signed the 17-year-old, where he agreed to a contract until 2025. “I am very happy to be at this beautiful and historic club,” Okon-Engstler said. “I want to show that I deserve to be at this great club and go my own path. I researched the history of the club and know all the big names who have played here. Perhaps one day I will be one of them.” At Benfica, Okon-Engstler is currently part of the U19 side, where he has been a regular starter since September—issues with his registration delayed his debut. “I want to show my qualities on the pitch,” Okon-Engstler said. “I have good vision; I am calm and like being on the ball.”
Okon-Engstlter’s talent has not gone unnoticed in Australia. “He is a good boy,” U17 head coach Trevor Morgan said on the TV show The World Game. “His first touch is brilliant,“ Morgan added. “But his first touch aside, he also passes well. He is a playmaker who, despite being very young, already has a good feeling for tempo. Paul has the ability to play himself out of difficult situations.” Morgan also believes that his family environment will be an advantage. “He has received a great education from one of the best Australian midfielders of all time.”
From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2005. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.
Homepage