Gianluca Okon

Gianluca Okon
Personal information
Full name Gianluca Tommaso Okon-Engstler
Date of birth (2009-01-24) 24 January 2009
Place of birth Australia
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Club Brugge/Club NXT
Number 86
Youth career
2019–2025 Club Brugge
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025– Club NXT 9 (0)
2026– Club Brugge 0 (0)
International career‡
2024–2025 Australia U17 2 (0)
2025 Italy U16 3 (0)
2025– Italy U17 10 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Italy
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Winner2026 Estonia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 August 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 June 2026

Gianluca Tommaso Okon-Engstler (born 24 January 2009) is a footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge and its reserve team Club NXT. Born in Australia, he has represented Italy and Australia at youth international level.

Early life

Okon was born on 24 January 2009 in Australia. The son of Australia international Paul Okon, he is the younger brother of Australian soccer player Paul Okon-Engstler.[1]

Club career

As a youth player, Okon joined the youth academy of Belgian side Club Brugge KV. In 2024, he was promoted to the club's reserve team.[2]

International career

Okon-Engstler is eligible to represent Belgium through birth, Australia, Italy and Germany through his father, and Cuba through his mother.[3][4] Okon is an Australia and Italy youth international. On 4 September 2025, he debuted for the Italy under-17 team during a 2–1 away friendly win over Portugal.

Style of play

Okon plays as a defensive midfielder and is right-footed. Italian news website wrote in 2025 that he is "a midfielder with great quality, an excellent right-footed pass, but also good physicality and timing in the box that allow him to see the goal with ease".[5]

Honours

Italy U17

References

  1. ↑ "Sua papà ha giocato in Serie A e il fratello maggiore è in un top club europeo, lui a soli 16 anni si fa notare in Nazionale" [His father played in Serie A and his older brother is in a top European club, he is only 16 years old and makes his mark in the national team] (in Italian). Sprint e Sport. 5 June 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  2. ↑ Gianluca Okon at WorldFootball.net
  3. ↑ "Paul Okon-Engstler: el talento australiano del Benfica lleva una vida loca como un padre" [Paul Okon-Engstler: Benfica's Australian talent leads a crazy life like a father]. teknomers.com (in Spanish). 20 December 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "Okon-Engstler: Australia is a match for any nation".
  5. ↑ "Okon, l'Italia sfida l'Australia per il figlio di Paul: il Bruges ha il nuovo Jashari in casa" [Okon, Italy challenges Australia for Paul's son: Brugge have the new Jashari at home] (in Italian). Calciomercato.com. 20 July 2025. Retrieved 7 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "2026 Under-17 EURO final highlights: Belgium 1-1 Italy (Italy win 4-3 on penalties)". uefa.com. 7 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
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