Stefano Okaka

Stefano Chuka Okaka (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsteːfano oˈkaːka]; born 9 August 1989) is an Italian footballer who plays as a forward for Serie C Group B club Ravenna.

He began his career at Roma, debuting shortly after his 16th birthday and being loaned to several other teams for the duration of his contract. He totalled over 125 Serie A games for that club, Bari, Parma, Sampdoria and Udinese. Abroad, he played 47 Premier League matches for Fulham and Watford, and had a season in Belgium with Anderlecht.

Club career

Roma

Born in Castiglione del Lago, Umbria, Italy to Nigerian parents who later obtained Italian citizenship, Okaka joined the Roma youth system in 2004. He was part of the team that won the U-20 national title in 2005 and scored goals against Juventus in the semi-final and Atalanta in the final.

On 29 September 2005, at the age of 16 years, 51 days he made his debut with the first team in the UEFA Cup, playing against Aris. He thus became the youngest footballer to debut in an international competition for an Italian team. Okaka scored his first goal for Roma in a Coppa Italia match against Napoli on 8 December, with a powerful run from midfield and a precise shot to the left of the goalkeeper, making him the youngest goalscorer in the competition at the age of 16 years, 121 days. He made his Serie A debut with the club later that month, on 18 December, at the age of 16 years and 125 days, in a 1–1 away draw against Sampdoria.

Okaka scored his first Serie A goal on 17 September 2006, concluding a 3–1 win over Siena, just 38 days after his 17th birthday, after coming on as a substitute for Francesco Totti. He made his debut in the UEFA Champions League ten days later, in a 2–1 away loss to Valencia, aged 17 years, 49 days.