Born Oarabile Moloi in Namibia’s capital Windhoek on 25 December 2006, young Moloi’s genes dictated that he would be a great footballer in his own right. After all, his late great-granduncle – the legendary Percy ‘Chippa’ Moloi – was a phenomenal footballer himself.
The former Orlando Pirates’ silky attacker needs no introduction to Namibian football. The stocky playmaker set the local football scene alight during his much-hyped brief spell with Nomtsoub outfit Etosha Lions in 1969.
Admittedly, Percy was chiefly instrumental in the unavoidable birth of Tsumeb giants Chief Santos and even proposed the name. Now almost five decades later, the Moloi legacy continues to hog the headlines in what has become their second home – the Land of the Brave.
Befittingly paddling on the name of his famous great-granduncle, young Moloi has no intentions of failing the clan’s much-treasured tradition.
A protégé of the revered Ramblers Youth Football Academy, and a mild-mannered boy of decent upbringing, Moloi who is also known as Chippa, started chasing an inflated piece of pigskin at the age of five.
“I was inspired by Lionel Messi and always watched his video clips trying to model my playing style to his,” said the well-spoken youngster.
After solid eight years of lodging in Tunschell Street, Moloi developed itchy feet and vacated the Rammies’ stable to find refuge at Athletic Club Football Academy.
His dedication and hard work, spiced by natural talent have seen the young attacker grow tremendously in stature since his arrival at Athletic.
Moloi’s immense contribution on the playing field and goal-scoring prowess propelled Athletic to victory in the highly competitive U/13 Hopsol Youth League title race in only his second season. The forward netted the only goal of the match against Kaizen Youth Football Academy in that match.
History reveals that the sacred jersey number 10 is strictly worn by the most talented or rather influential player in the squad. Fittingly, young Moloi has been deservedly bestowed with the distinct honour of wearing the famous number 10 on his back for the Athletic U/17 side.
Stepping in the footsteps of a football legend was never going to be a walk in the park but the youngster is taking nothing for granted, as he remains humble with his feet firmly on the ground.
“Throughout my entire football career, I’ve always been inspired by the legacy of my great grand uncle Percy ‘Chippa’ Moloi, who has done so well for himself, proudly putting the Moloi’s name on the global map.”
The 16-year-old Moloi is determined to live his dream of becoming a top professional footballer to the extent that he has perfectly adjusted his academic timetable. He cleverly shifted to online classes in order to create space that will enable him to juggle his time between football and education without any hindrance.
Elder son of noted dentist and local socialite Dr Kagiso Moloi, young Chippa is fully conversant with the end result of athletes as sport has undeniable challenges such as age limitations, including unpredictable off-the-field distractive elements.
In view of the above, he keeps one eye on the ultimate benefits of obtaining good education to fall back on.
“I’m fully focused but also have a moral obligation to make sure my school work does not take a back seat. As a family, we value the essence of education, but I now freely work in the gym, and fully concentrate on individual training sessions.”
Although an ardent Arsenal supporter, he idolises global football genius Messi.
His immediate goal is to break into the Athletic senior team but his ultimate dream is to represent the country of his birth – Namibia – internationally. The deadly attacker also dreams of playing in the top European leagues should the ideal opportunity arise in the future.
“I’m a great deal indebted to my parents for their unwavering support and want to handsomely reward them in the most dignified fashion by playing professional football abroad, obviously by the grace of the Almighty,” he noted.