Youssoufa Moukoko is currently making a fresh start at FC Copenhagen. In a TV interview, he spoke about the speculation surrounding his age, among other things.
The new start is going well for Youssoufa Moukoko. In the last two games before the international break, the 20-year-old striker scored a goal in each, including the important 2-0 in the Champions League playoff return leg against FC Basel, which secured the Danish club a place in the group stage. Moukoko will be in action right from the start of the group stage next week against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, followed by a clash with his former club Borussia Dortmund in mid-October.
The former wonder kid finally left BVB in the summer after spending a lost year on loan at Nice. While the youngest professional in Bundesliga history also had to contend with sporting problems in Dortmund, the persistent speculation about his age also weighed heavily on him, as he now revealed in a TV interview. “I cried and thought: How do I get out of here? When will things get better?” Moukoko told Danish broadcaster TV2. “Many people might just say, ‘Everything is fine’ when they’ve been through tough times. But I want to talk about it.” Rumors that Moukoko is older than stated have accompanied the exceptional talent since his time in junior soccer, where he attracted attention at a young age with his incredible goal-scoring rate.
Last year, a TV report presented an alleged birth certificate showing a different age and surname for Moukoko, who was born in Cameroon. Borussia Dortmund had repeatedly rejected the allegations and pointed to official documents from German authorities, among other things.
Moukoko has now also commented on this. He said he was surprised at how some people “do everything to get attention,” according to the striker, who most recently had a regular spot in Copenhagen. “People are always trying to find out something about me and then just write a story about it.” Moukoko said that he himself “doesn’t care in the end, they can just carry on.” Perhaps he would like to make his own documentary about it at some point. But first, he wants to kick-start his sporting career again.