Paul Aladejare will never forget the phone call. It was August 2020 and his scouting boss at Arsenal’s academy was ringing, although this time it was not with instructions on which game he was being assigned to.

Arsenal’s head of recruitment from under-12 to under-14 had been given an unusual tip-off that two brothers from Denmark had just emigrated to the UK with their family. The siblings had a good reputation but having never seen them play before, they wanted to check whether they were worth pursuing.

Pairing his role as a regional scouting co-ordinator for Arsenal in London with his work as the founder of CrownPro Elite Academy, Aladejare was asked to include the mystery duo in a showcase game against XYZ Football Academy at Mabley Green in Hackney.

“I saw these two boys walking over to us,” says Aladejare. “I couldn’t believe it. They were both well built but one of them just looked different. He was so leggy and walked with such a swagger. I thought, ‘Who on earth is this?’”

After 20 minutes, Aladejare phoned his Arsenal boss: “You have to get here right now and man-mark this kid’s mum. There are scouts from every club in London asking who he is and where he has come from.”

His name was Chido Obi — his middle name is Martin — and that evening was the final time he walked onto a football pitch without people knowing exactly who he was.

Today, he is one of the brightest prospects in English football and last week became the all-time record goalscorer in the Under-18 Premier League.

Data from Transfermarkt

He broke the record, however, not playing for Arsenal but Manchester United, with whom he signed his first professional contract in October upon turning 17.

On that day in Hackney, east London, four years ago, part of the speculation was about where he was from. Obi has a Nigerian father but Aladejare found his mother on the sideline, who said that he was born and raised in Denmark.

Obi had been playing for Kjobenhavns Boldklub, one of the pre-eminent clubs in Danish football who have served as Copenhagen’s academy feeder system since the club’s creation in 1992. The reason for Chido and his brother Chuck’s relocation was their mother moving to the UK to study to become a nurse.

“His English wasn’t great but he understood football terms,” says Aladejare. “At half-time, I tried to get him to simplify things so said, ‘Run, skill, shoot’.

“He scored four goals. They were all excellent finishes, too. In the final minute, he got the ball wide, went past three players, cut in and curled it into the far corner at top speed as if it was nothing. He was the real deal. But one scout I was chatting to thought he looked OK, wasn’t there technically, so predicted he would become a centre-half. I looked up at the sky and shook my head.”

Obi, who is eligible for England and Nigeria as well as Denmark, joined CrownPro Elite Academy and trained with them for months before being given a two-week trial at Arsenal along with his brother, who was signed at a later date. The paperwork required to confirm the 13-year-old’s move was an onerous endeavour. It took Arsenal over six months to complete and they had to satisfy various Home Office and Football Association criteria to get the deal over the line.

Obi was about 6ft 2in (1.87m) at age 16 and soon became an internet sensation, with highlights of his goals going viral. He scored 32 goals in 18 games for the under-18s despite being years younger. He even racked up 10 against Liverpool at under-16 level. His physical advantage was distinctive and academy coaches know they need to keep in mind that every player’s physical development is different. This is why Arsenal give early developers, such as Obi, a mixed programme, with exposure across different age groups to support their growth.

Obi is a clean clinical finisher who scores different types of goals and at Arsenal he often did extra individual training, improving his general game, including his hold-up play, while balancing studies for his GCSE exams last summer.

“I did one-on-one technical sessions with him even when he was at Arsenal,” says Aladejare. “He was like a sponge. He could take 10 shots, bag nine and if he missed one he wanted to start again. He goes again until he gets it right. He used to be a good finisher and now he’s a great finisher. He can still be better in his striking but he’s got quite an unconventional technique. But if it is still ending up in the corner of the net then who cares?”

Despite the north London club bringing him into the academy system from CrownPro, they will not get to enjoy his talent at first-team level after he left for Manchester United this summer following the expiry of his schoolboy terms.

Arsenal made Obi what they felt was a good offer within the boundaries of their wage structure but according to one source familiar with the situation, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relations, Obi believed strongly in the path to the first team at Manchester United given their reputation for promoting youth products.

Obi celebrates a hat-trick for Arsenal U18s v Southampton in 2023 (Photo: David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images)

Obi’s arrival was triggered by Luke Fedorenko, United’s head of academy recruitment, who built a good rapport with the player and his family to help progress the move, while director of academy Nick Cox also assisted.

Matt Hargreaves, director of football negotiations, got the deal over the line, while technical director Jason Wilcox, who spent 11 years as Manchester City’s academy director, was also involved. The financial commitment from United was also a factor and he now stands to earn a substantial wage for a youth player after turning 17 last week and signing his first professional contract. Obi shared the news of his deal on social media accompanied by a picture of his younger self in a United shirt.

In October, he marked his debut for United’s under-18s with a hat-trick in the first 15 minutes against Nottingham Forest.

When Obi joined United, before the appointment of Ruben Amorim, the plan was for him to have at least a year of academy football, primarily with the under-18s, and not to rush him. United’s academy are conscious not to overhype young players, especially in their early stages of development. Obi assisted the only goal on his under-21 debut off the bench against Rochdale last night but is yet to train with the first team and there are no immediate plans for integration.

Either way, there are plenty who believe in his potential.

“He believes he is the best player at his age group in the world,” says Aladejare. “That is his mentality.”

Additional reporting: Laurie Whitwell

(Photo: Zohaib Alam – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)

The Miami Hurricanes’ College Football Playoff fate may have been sealed on Tuesday as they were not among the teams slotted in the penultimate bracket before conference championship weekend.

Miami’s upset loss to the Syracuse Orange had a lot to do with that. The Hurricanes blew a 21-0 lead to eventually lose, 42-38. It was Miami’s second loss in three games, with the other coming against Georgia Tech.

The selection committee listed Miami as the first team on the outside looking in. The three-loss Alabama Crimson Tide was placed in the 11th spot of the bracket. Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma this season.

The ACC may only see one team in the playoffs when all is said and done. SMU was ranked No. 3 in the bracket but may fall out if they lose the conference title game against Clemson. Conference commissioner Jim Phillips said it was disappointing to see Miami go from No. 6 to No. 12.

“Miami has more wins and fewer losses than the team director ahead of them and a dominant victory over an SEC team whose late-season surge includes a win over No. 13 Ole Miss,” Phillips said in a statement. “Moreover, with two losses by a combined nine points – to a ranked Syracuse team and a Georgia Tech team that just took No. 5 Georgia to eight overtimes – Miami absolutely deserves better from the Committee.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, #4, celebrates his touchdown run against Auburn during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

FOX NEWS DIGITAL SPORTS’ COLLEGE FOOTBALL WINNERS AND LOSERS: WEEK 14

“As we look ahead to the final rankings, we hope the Committee will reconsider and put a deserving Miami in the field. We will continue to look forward to this weekend, when Clemson and SMU have an opportunity to earn an ACC championship and represent the conference n the CFP.”

Warde Manuel, the CFP selection committee chair, explained on ESPN why Alabama got the edge over Miami.

“What it came down to is as we evaluated both teams and looked at how they rank, obviously we think highly of both teams,” he said, via On3 Sports. “One’s at 11, one’s at 12. But what it really came down to is Alabama is 3-1 against current top 25 teams and Miami is 0-1. Alabama is 6-1 against teams above .500 and Miami’s 4-2. Both have had some losses that weren’t what they wanted out of those games. But in the last three games, Miami has lost twice.”

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal walks off the field after an NCAA college football game against Wake Forest on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

However, Manuel said things could still change depending on how the conference championships play out.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Marques Johnson is a living, breathing legend who’s seen and experienced so many moments of greatness that his story could be part of a museum exhibit dedicated to telling L.A. basketball history from the 1970s into the 21st century.

From becoming the City Section player of the year at Crenshaw High in 1973 to playing on John Wooden’s final UCLA championship team in 1975 to being a five-time All-Star with the Milwaukee Bucks to screaming “Yeah, baby!” as a radio broadcaster during Tyler Edney’s miracle buzzer-beater for UCLA in the 1995 NCAA tournament, Johnson is an L.A. sports institution.

Then there’s his family. Son Kris was the City player of the year at Crenshaw in 1993 and a member of UCLA’s national championship team in 1995. Another son, Josiah, starred for Montclair Prep, then went to UCLA and became a successful TV writer and social media star. Another son, Joshua, is an actor.

The Johnsons are L.A.’s first family of basketball and now there’s a new era, as the first Johnson female has made her high school debut.

Shiloh Johnson, Marques’ 15-year-old daughter who paints her fingernails white and has a ponytail, is a 6-foot freshman at Windward, and all her brothers insist she’s more advanced at her age than any of the boys before her.

Marques, 68, who’s an Emmy-winning broadcaster with the Milwaukee Bucks, said his daughter has the same passion for basketball. She gets up at 5 a.m. for lessons from Kris before school. She listens intently when he reminds her of all the great L.A. stars through the years, taking her to Crenshaw to train in the gym and look up at former coach Willie West’s 16 championship banners. Marquestook her to a park in Inglewood where the likes of Reggie Theus, Paul Pierce and Byron Scott hung out.

“I’ve always considered myself the basketball storyteller who’s lived through 50 years of history,” Marques said. “I’ve made sure she is plugged into tradition. I want her to understand what this history of L.A. basketball greatness is all about. She’s working hard to try to hold up her end.”

Shiloh said she wasn’t serious about basketball in her youth days playing at a recreation center in Westchester while also trying tennis, golf and ballet. It was during the pandemic in 2020 when she started working out with another brother, Cyrus, and her love for basketball took over.

“I feel when I play. I have a drive to get better every single day,” she said. “Watching my father and knowing his legacy is also part of it.”

Windward freshman Shiloh Johnson (left) has been getting photos taken with the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo annually for seven years.

(Johnson family)

Advertisement

Marques has taken photos of Shiloh with the Bucks’ superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, annually for the last seven years, showing her growth along the way. Shiloh said she didn’t realize early on what it meant to be around one of the NBA’s best players but now understands how fortunate she is.

“When I was younger, I didn’t realize how big it was,” she said. “It was normal, a tradition every year, go to the Milwaukee practice facility. As I got older and mainly when they won the championship in 2021, it was, ‘Wow, I have this big advantage.’ It’s really cool and beneficial to learn things and be around that. It’s cool to see my evolution.”

Freshman Shiloh Johnson of Windward (13) gets physical in a battle for the ball during a game against Sage Hill.

(Craig Weston)

At Windward, Shiloh is one of six promising freshmen on the varsity team. Coach Rachel Shrout said her size and potential are plentiful.

“I’m proud of her progress and her work ethic,” she said.

Shiloh said this season will be about adapting to the high school game and focusing on her strengths — hustle and rebounding. She’s someone who “locks in” during games but also is hard on herself. Kris has been helping her with the mental game. She knows about the changes going on in the women’s game and the new opportunities unfolding.

“I was around the men’s game when I was younger, but I always loved Candace Parker and followed JuJu Watkins through her high school career and seeing her in the newspaper,” she said.

Kris and Marques were sitting in the bleachers for Shiloh’s high school debut against Sage Hill last month. She started and played extensively but didn’t score. Her focus was battling for rebounds, playing defense and hustling.

The Johnson family always has good timing. Marques was 6 feet 6 and known as a swingman at a time when his size made him a defensive mismatch for guards and forwards. He got to play for Wooden’s final NCAA championship team. He was an announcer for UCLA’s last championship team under coach Jim Harrick and was there for Edney’s memorable full-court drive and basket to beat Missouri.

And now he has his first basketball-playing daughter in high school at a time when the popularity of women’s basketball is soaring.

Marques was asked what Wooden would say if he were around to see Shiloh.

“He thought the women were a lot more fundamentally sound than the men,” Marques said. “He loved it. Coach Wooden would be tinkled pink. He loved Ann Meyers.”

One tradition Marques has is dunking each birthday. Since Shiloh says she’s still growing, could she join him one day with a father-daughter dunk?

“I hope so,” she said.

The Johnson family will be supporting Shiloh on her basketball journey. It’s an L.A. story shared with so many over 50 years who’ve watched family members perform.

“I’m super honored,” Shiloh said. “I love my family.”