Teenage wonder accused of being 42 leaves Italy

Joseph Minala joined Lazio as a teenager ten years ago but was accused of appearing much older. Now, a decade later, he's departed Italy for a new European country.

It's been nearly a decade since Minala became an internet sensation in 2014 when a photo of the then-Lazio youth player went viral.

The midfielder appeared to be older than his age at the time, which was 17, and his expression suggested that his upbringing had probably not been easy.

Not only did he look older, but a post on an African football website stated that the youth was actually 42, prompting an investigation.

Minala was at the Stadio Olimpico from 2014 to 2021, however, he only appeared in four senior matches for the Biancocelesti over that period.

Instead, he went on loan to several Italian clubs, notably Salernitana and Bari, where he made roughly 67 appearances before joining Chinese Super League club Qingdao Huanghai for a season in 2020.

Last summer, the Cameroonian-born player joined Serie C side Olbia Calcio 1905, a team from the coastal city of Olbia in northeast Sardinia.

However, he had his one-year contract terminated by mutual consent at the start of the year and has now relocated to Latvia to play in the top tier with FK Liepaja.

Minala, now officially 26, was on the bench earlier on Friday when Liepaja thrashed Super Nova 6-2 away from home to finish third in the Latvian Higher League.

Of all, if the accusations levelled against him at the start of his career were true, the former Lazio player would be around 52 years old now.

At that age, he would be a good fit for any professional team, regardless of level, albeit he would not be the oldest current player.

At 56 years old, Japanese superstar Kazuyoshi Miura holds the record for being the oldest player currently competing at the highest level, shattering Minala's false age claim!

The only active player from the FIFA 96 game is in his 36th year of professional football and has played for 15 different clubs.

He made his most recent appearance last week for Oliveirense, coming on as an 89th-minute replacement in their 4-1 win over Academico Viseu.