Cameroonian Player Accused of Being 25 Years Older Than His Age Finds New Club at 26

• Lazio's former 17-year-old wonderkid Joseph Minala has found a new club in Italy in the current transfer widow
• Joseph Minala hogged the headlines in 2017 after he was accused of being 42 instead of 17 when Lazio signed him
• The Cameroonian midfielder has joined Italian Serie C side Olbia Calcio for the 2022/23 season from Lucchese

Joseph Minala, the former Lazio wonderkid accused of reducing his age, has found a new club in Italy.

The Cameroonian midfielder made the headlines in 2013 after reports suggested he was 42 instead of 17.

On his 26th birthday, Minala signed for Serie C side Olbia Calcio for the 2022/23 season.

“The Company announces that it has definitively acquired the rights to the sports performances of the player Joseph Minala," wrote Olbia Calcio on their official website.

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“The Cameroonian midfielder, born in Yaoundé on 24 August 1996, has signed an agreement with Olbia that is valid until 30 June 2023.”

Joseph Minala was accused of age cheating when he joined Lazio in 2013, but a year later he was cleared by the Italian FA. It was confirmed his real age was 17.

However, the controversy affected his career forcing him to eventually leave the Rome-based club.

"I was very young and I couldn’t know or predict the resonance this would have," he told Laziali.

“I’m convinced that the age story has always held back my career.”

Minala went on to play for Serie B side Bari and Latina before spending three consecutive seasons at Salernitana.

He also had a brief spell in China at Qingdao Huanghai before signing for Luchese in 2021.

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Cameroon FA boss Eto'o believes an African country can win the World Cup

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that legendary African footballer, Samuel Eto'o, is convinced an African team can win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Africa will be represented by Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal at the tournament in November and December.

The continent's best performance at the World Cup was when Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana reached the quarter finals in 1990, 2002 and 2010 respectively. Read more: