SuperSport United teenage star Ime Okon is proving just how astounding the nature of rising in a football career can be after receiving his first Bafana Bafana call-up.
Hugo Broos took a surprise route on Tuesday when he included Okon in his 36-member preliminary squad for the international friendly matches against Namibia and DR Congo on September 9 and 12 respectively.
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The two matches are part of preparations for the AFCON finals in Ivory Coast early next year and the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which begin in November.
Okon (19) has been called up as the youngest member of the squad after featuring in only three games for SuperSport following his promotion from the club's reserve team.
Born to a Nigerian father and South African mother as the second of three kids, Okon did part of his schooling at Florida Primary School, the same school where Lyle Foster completed his primary schooling in 2013.
Foster is also in the Bafana squad and now plays his football in the English Premier League for Burnley FC.
Just last year (2022), Okon was a matric student at Florida Park High School where he completed his matric.
Okon was raised in Florida and had to endure a difficult upbringing.
Yet for all the tough times that Okon faced as a kid, one trait that was customary about him to all those that know him was his discipline, tenacity, and love for football.
It was that resolve that took through early days at Florida Albion through to the Orlando Pirates development after which he moved to Randburg FC two years ago from where he then joined SuperSport United at the end of last year after completing his matric.
At Pirates, who trained at Mayfair, he was amongst the best players coming through the ranks and won Player of the Year.
Then at SuperSport, he started out with the club's reserve team but quickly won over Gavin Hunt due to his physical presence, pace, aerial strength, and that he is comfortable on the ball.
Prior to arriving at SuperSport, Okon went for trials at Cape Town City during the June 2022 school holidays and while he impressed, City didn't tighten their grip in bringing him back to the club at the end of the year.
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