Chibby Nwoko plays a role as a composed, ball playing midfielder for the Hampton U15As and the Fulham academy. His contributions to football at the school have continued to be significant and impactful ever since his debut in First Year, over three years ago. From extra time winners, to beating the opposition with his footwork, his creativity is undoubtedly a key part of both his game, and that of the teams he plays for. Although only a fraction of the way through his Hampton career, we discussed the principal events of his footballing life, and subsequently what the future may hold in the coming years.
Chibby's first interactions with a football came at the age of about four when he attended a Brazilian soccer school. These early experiences were predominantly based around footwork and skills development, which has gone on to be a pivotal part of his game. Nwoko explained: “The fact that I got the technical side of my game so early has made me more comfortable on the ball now.” Although in and around the radar of various Premier League academies for a while, his relatively recent joining of Fulham in June 2018 has provided his footballing development with a new challenge, but also a greater breadth of knowledge. That said, the similar, passing-based mentality of both Hampton and Fulham FC has been noticeable as he remarked: “At both training sessions, the coaches like to get us into shape and set us off with some passing drills to work on our creativity.”
This can also be shown in prematch warmups, as Nwoko expressed how his various coaches all stress the importance of passing, both short and movement based, and over a greater distance before a game. Although both roles require this range and swiftness of creativity, one significant difference between his experiences at a Fulham and Hampton is his position.
His more offensive based contributions at school allow his dribbling ability to be fully utilised, however, playing for the whites has seen him develop into a deeper, holding player. He said: “I have rotated between playing with two men ahead of me in a three-man midfield, and playing in a two in the centre, with wing-backs on either side.” Although obvious difficulties could arise, related to the vastly differing amount of freedom available in the roles, Nwoko shed light upon the fact that both midfield positions require similar attributes, and so playing a different position is only deepening his understanding of the game, not distracting him from his different priorities in the other.
A professional player who Nwoko has drawn inspiration from is Thiago Alcántara. Having arrived in the Premier League in the Summer, the player has shown his quality, that was also on show during his performances for Bayern Munich last year in the lead up to their Champions League victory. He observed: “Thiago is a player I watch because he’s able to spread the ball and find attackers quickly, and that's what I look to do.” In the holding position, he explained that a player is required to keep the game ticking, the ball moving and to find those passes.
While the Coronavirus Pandemic has proven difficult for everyone, its disruption to Nwoko’s training regime has been equally notable. He reflected upon the fact that the usual fitness that comes with training multiple times a week could no longer be achieved, and so it's harder to go out and motivate yourself when there's nobody else around. He went on to say: “Throughout this last year or so, we’ve constantly kept in touch via Zoom to analyse our matches, professional matches, both position specific and collective at Fulham, and also athletic development sessions with cameras on.“
When asked on where he sees himself in five years time, Chibby said that he would love to be playing at the highest level. “Playing as a number eight for Liverpool or Barcelona would be incredible. A combination of the two roles I play at the moment, at clubs that I have supported my whole life.”
