Borussia Dortmund have released a public statement after the shock claims that Youssoufa Moukoko is actually a lot older than 20 years old. The German – who is on loan at Ligue 1 side OGC Nice – is thought to be among the best young players in world football.
However, shock claims from the forward’s registered father, Joseph Moukoko, in an upcoming documentary called ‘Tricks, Cheats, Deception – The Million Dollar Business with Football Talents’ state that Moukoko’s age has been lied about for years. Per The Sun, Joseph has claimed:
“Youssoufa Moukoko is not the biological son of me and my wife, Marie Moukoko, Nor was he born on November 20, 2004, in Yaounde, Cameroon.
“He was actually born on July 19, 2000. We made him four years younger.”
Admitting to lying about the Dortmund star’s age, he went on to add the reasoning: “We did it so he could have better opportunities in European football.”
Moukoko broke onto the scene at an extremely young age, becoming the youngest ever player to appear in the Bundesliga and the Champions League – aged 16. He then went on to be the youngest player in the history of the German national side.
He had previously taken the Under-17s division by storm as a 13-year-old. During his time in the youth ranks at Dortmund, the electric attacker netted an impressive 141 goals in only 88 games.
Borussia Dortmund’s Moukoko Statement
The German club were firm in their response
Since the shock news broke, Moukoko’s parent club Borussia Dortmund have released a statement to Sky Sports Germany. It reads as follows:
“In the case of Youssoufa Moukoko, the biological parents and the date of birth are derived from official identification documents and birth certificates issued by a German authority.
“These documents are still valid today and are the basis for playing authorisations and permits for clubs, regardless of whether they are domestic or foreign, and of course also for association teams such as the German U21 national team.”
“Please also note that both the player and the biological parents identified in the above-mentioned documents have declared to us and, in the case of the parents, even to third parties through affidavits in the context of legal proceedings that the information contained in the aforementioned official documents is correct. This factual status is of course decisive for us, the DFB, and the player’s current club.”
Related
What Happened to Joseph Minala – the Lazio Wonderkid who was Reportedly 42
Minala was wrongly accused of being 42 at the age of 17. Now 27, his career hasn’t turned out as planned.
The Bundesliga outfit maintain that their promising youngster was born in 2004, while his registered father claims his birth actually came four years prior.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 14-12-24.
About Author
