Minala was a budding star at Italian giants Lazio when a report out of Senegal claimed that he was not aged 17, as he said, but 41.
The allegation gained traction because Minala’s rugged appearance and well-developed physique made him look significantly older. He was subjected to cruel ridicule on social media. But Italy’s football association conducted an investigation and concluded that he was telling the truth.
Minala turned 24 this year and is now playing in the Chinese Super League, but the midfielder says that he cannot shake off the stigma. “I had opportunities at some clubs (to move there), but I think it didn’t happen because of this business,” he said. “This is an image that some people unfortunately have of me,” Minala added. “I had the opportunity to go to France, I had the opportunity to go to Paris Saint-Germain at the time... but it didn’t happen.”
Minala said: “I would have had a different career (without this controversy). Sometimes people prefer to ignore that I’m a good player and only point out that aspect of me.” Minala’s agent at the time explained that Minala looked older because of his difficult backstory, which includes a spell in an Italian care home. The player was spotted as a talented youngster in Cameroon, and a former player who was also an agent promised him a trial at AC Milan.
His parents spent “a lot of money” to finance the trip to Italy, but after arriving the 14-year-old Minala found himself stranded at a Rome train station. “But since I was an unaccompanied minor, they took me to a hospital for tests, then to a social welfare centre and I was enrolled in an Italian school. This is where my adventure began, " he narrated. Minala lived in the housing centre with other youths and it was there that he trained to do another job in case his football dreams failed to materialise.
Mino Raiola, the high-profile agent who represents Paul Pogba and a slew of other stars, spotted Minala playing in amateur football in the Rome region and took him south to Napoli. After one year as a youth player at Napoli there was interest from Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, he says, but in 2013 he joined Lazio’s under-19 squad. He was loaned out to several Serie B clubs including Bari and Latina before spending three consecutive seasons at Salernitana. Despite playing 67 times for Salernitana, the club opted not to take the option of a permanent deal and Minala trudged back to Rome.
At the end of his loan in China in January 2021, Minala once again returned to Lazio where his contract ran out last summer. Currently a free agent, It will be interesting to see the next chapter in Minala’s career. Is a club willing to take a chance on this one-time wonderkid?