Joseph Minala made headlines in 2014 after he was controversially accused of being 41 years of age
At the time, the midfielder was said to be 17-years-old
Minala, who has been switching clubs since then has now joined a Maltese club
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Joseph Minala, a Cameroonian footballer who was once accused of being older than his age, as found a new club aged 26.
Minala started his football career with Lazio, where he grew through the ranks at the Serie A club’s academy system.
However, it was not until 2014 when he hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons after a Senegalese media outlet claimed that the midfielder was 41 years of age, 24 years older than his age at the time.
According to Sportbible, the wild accusations promoted the Italian FA to launch a prove into the claims, which had been denied by both Minala and Lazio.
Fortunately for the two parties, it was established that Minala had not lied about his exact age, thereby escaping disciplinary action.
Back in 2020, the Cameroonian finally addressed the saga surrounding his age, with the midfielder disclosing it had greatly affected his fortunes.
“It held back my career and is [still] holding back my career,”
he told AFP.
Nearly nine years after the scandal, Minala has found a new club aged 26.
Joseph Minala pic.twitter.com/k60TfKwhrD
— Panos Kotsas (@Arketa) August 2, 2023
The ex-Lazio star left the Italian club on a permanent basis in 2021 after several loan spells with different clubs.
The Cameroonian has now sealed his second club of 2023 by joining Maltese side Sliema Wanderers.
The transfer was confirmed by the club via a Facebook post which said:
“Having already played for some top-level clubs throughout his career including Lazio, Bari and Salernitana, Joseph will surely bring a wealth of talent and experience to our squad.”