Wilfried Gnonto: Once Played Soccer Barefoot, Raised in an Oratory

This article on Wilfried Gnonto, a footballer born to Chantal and Boris Noel, tells the story of a player with Ivory Coast origins who fell in love with football while living in a Catholic church compound as a child. Raised in the Baveno oratory in Italy, Wilfried could have become a Reverend Father due to his upbringing in the church. However, Willy chose a different path (away from the Catholic Church) and pursued a career in professional football instead. This biography recounts the journey of an Ivorian-Italian wonderkid from Baveno, a boy who dreamed of playing football but couldn’t afford proper shoes. In truth, Wilfried Gnonto often played football barefoot, doing so with immense joy and a constant smile on his face.

This article on Wilfried Gnonto’s biography goes beyond his career goals and highlights, as seen on YouTube. It offers an in-depth look into his childhood story, early life, and his parents – Boris Noel Gnonto (Father) and Chantal Gnonto (Mother). It also explores his family background and siblings. Most importantly, our article unveils details of Gnonto’s Côte d’Ivoire family origin, the story of his parents’ migration from the Ivory Coast to Italy, and how he was raised in a Catholic Church compound. Additionally, it covers his early education, religion, personality, and lifestyle. Now, without further ado, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of Willy’s story.

Preamble:

We aim to pique your interest in autobiographies as we take you through Wilfried Gnonto’s story. To kick things off, here’s a photo gallery showcasing his early years and professional ascent. It’s clear that this Italian talent, a longtime friend of Roberto Mancini, has truly come a long way.

After the 2022 FIFA World Cup exclusion and the defeat against Argentina, Italy’s national team embarked on a new journey. Roberto Mancini’s rejuvenation of gli Azzurri began with the introduction of Wilfried Gnonto, a footballer gifted with incredible speed, agility, acceleration, and balance.

In our mission to bring you the untold stories of Italian footballers, we discovered a gap in the narrative about Wilfried Gnonto. The reality is, few fans have read an in-depth version of his biography, which is truly fascinating. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.

Wilfried Gnonto Childhood Story:

For Biography starters, he bears the nickname “Willy”. His full name is Degnand Wilfried Gnonto.

The Italian footballer was born on the 5th day of November 2003 to his Mother, Chantal Gnonto and Father, Boris Noel Gnonto, in Verbania, Italy.

Having searched about the existence of his siblings, it appears that Wilfried Gnonto is the only child of his parents.

Now, let’s introduce you to Boris and Chantal. Wilfried Gnonto’s Parents have always been his rock. They are the best Mum and Dad he could ever ask for.

Growing Up:

Chantal and Boris Noel (his parents) raised him in Baveno, a small town in Piedmont, on Lake Maggiore. It was in this smaller town that Gnonto fell in love with the beautiful game.

As a child, Wilfried was someone who knew how to make himself loved by everyone around him. While Growing up, his parents (Chantal and Boris) taught him childhood values and morals.

Young Gnonto was encouraged to explore his sporting interests, including learning new things. Chantal and Boris supported his hobby of reading, playing educational games, and of course, his favourite, which is football.

Early Life:

From the window of the room where his family lived, little Gnonto was fond of staring at the soccer field situated in a church compound.

Whenever he wanted, the youngster would go down and play football there. In no time, the game of soccer invaded his whole life.

The team Wilfried Gnonto began playing for at the age of five was organized by Massimo Zacchera, who is the patron of Baveno parish.

One day, Chantal and Boris agreed to seek permission from the Patron as to if their son could join the team of little boys who played on the field.

Wilfried Gnonto’s parents could no longer keep up with their son’s hunger for football.

The young prodigy was a bit small when he began mixing up with the boys, not even up to five years old. Gnonto was loved by everyone and was quick to settle with his new friends.

From the young age of five, the fledgling star had already become a natural leader.

Willy, who became the captain of the boys, was always smiling and available for his teammates. In terms of his gameplay, the son of Chantal and Boris was extremely fast.

Wilfried Gnonto Family Background:

Chantal, his Mum and Boris Noel (the Baller’s Dad) are Ivorian parents. They have both lived in Italy for more than 30 years. Now, let’s tell you the occupation of Wilfried Gnonto’s Parents.

Boris started as a worker in an Italian textile factory. On the other hand, Wilfried Gnonto’s Mum was a waitress in a hotel for 21 years. Chantal worked for Massimo Zacchera, who is the owner of Zacchera Hotel located in Baveno, an Italian town.

Wilfried Gnonto’s Parents’ emigration:

Similar to Yunus Musah, the journey to Italy began with his Dad, Boris Noel.

In order to escape poverty, Wilfried Gnonto’s Dad emigrated to Italy from the Ivory Coast in the 1990s. Upon reaching Italy, he found a home in the Catholic Church located in Baveno.

Like the parents of Inaki and Nico Williams, Wilfried Gnonto’s Dad got the support of the church. Boris Noel was given a job as a helper and caretaker of the Catholic Parish in Baveno.

Five years after Wilfried Gnonto’s Dad stayed in Italy, he sent for his wife, Chantal, to join him in the country. After a couple of years of Boris and Chantal living together, their son, whom football fans call Willy, arrived in the world.

Both of Wilfried Gnonto’s parents ended up living in that church apartment for the next 30 years.

For 21 years, the patron of Baveno, Massimo Zacchera, secured Chantal’s services to work in Baveno Calcio, his hotel. He owns chains of hotels situated on a lake.

Family Origin:

If you ask Wilfried Gnonto about the place he calls home, he is likely to mention the name Baveno.

As observed below, this is a northern Italian town situated in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola. Where Wilfried Gnonto’s Parents raised him is 73 km from Milan.

Before emigrating to Italy, Wilfried Gnonto’s parents experienced much of Félix Houphouët-Boigny’s rein in Côte d’Ivoire.

The country of their origin (formerly Ivory Coast) is situated in West Africa and is fondly known as the home of the Chelsea Forwards, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou.

Ethnicity:

Gnonto belongs and identifies with a demographic group known as the Ivorian-Italians. Put simply; this ethnic group includes persons who are Italian citizens but have Côte d’Ivoire ancestry. On a broader scale, he, like Destiny Udogie (LB), Angelo Ogbonna (CB), Willy Gnonto, Michael Kayode and Mario Balotelli, are all Italian footballers of African descent.

Education:

Chantal and Boris Noel have always held the view that going to school will be an important ingredient needed for Wilfried to have a successful life.

Even as Wilfried Gnonto seriously dedicated himself to football, he still attended the scientific sports school in Busto Arsizio.

The above-named school, which the Athlete attended, is about 35 kilometres north of Milan.

During his education days at the classical high institution, Wilfried Gnonto’s best subject was Latin. That made his school friends nicknamed him “The Latinist of the Goal”.

Wilfried Gnonto went through the Liceo classic (the oldest public secondary school type in Italy) before moving to Liceo scientifico.

The latter is a type of secondary education designed to help students with skills needed to progress in any university or higher institution.

Wilfried Gnonto Biography – Football Story:

In Baveno (in the town of Verbania), the Wonderkid began laying his career foundation on a synthetic grass pitch overlooking Lake Maggiore.

Willy got trained as a child in a splendid landscape bathed by the waters of the Lake, which is a popular spot for local and foreign tourists.

The former coaches and all his teammates remember the impact Wilfried had in the team during his early days with the academy.

He was like a child from another planet, a force of nature at such a young age. Gnonto was at the centre of helping his team win trophies.

The pride of his youth team was felt with more trophies in the cabinet. Willy, the golden boy behind the victories, was always the centre of attraction at the town’s square.

He was always the boy that every spectator (including parents of other kids) talked about.

The quest to progress further:

Moving on from the local club, Gnonto progressed by joining a more competitive academy. Mattia, who has been the president of Suno Calcio (the football academy) for more than twelve years, enrolled Wilfried on his team.

The club President, who leaves his job to work on Pro Vercelli, once confessed that he had trained hundreds of kids, but none was like Gnonto. While playing for Suno Calcio, young Willy played alongside Zerbin, who was his teammate.

Alessio Zerbin, born in 1999, was four years older than Gnonto. It is incredible for fans to see these two footballers becoming part of the Italian national team in 2022.

Both friends were included in Roberto Mancini’s final 30-player Azzurri squad for the 2022 Finalissima.

Road to Fame Story:

When the rising talent and his teammates go around to play tournaments, he ends up scoring lots of goals.

In a certain game in one of many Nerazzurri training centres, Willy’s team won 8-1, and he scored seven goals. The best part was that his performance always made crowds yell his nickname;

‘Willy, Willy!’ .

After a couple of victories in tournaments, a Nerazzurri scout immediately noticed Willy and made moves to get him to Inter.

This football observer met with Wilfried Gnonto’s Parents to approve their 9-year-old son’s transfer to Inter Milan (which happened in the summer of 2012).

With his new club, there came many sacrifices for his family in terms of football and school. Wilfried Gnonto’s Dad made lots of sacrifices. Back then, they would travel for a 120km round trip every day just to train with the Nerazzurri youth.

Because of the need to drive his son to train, Wilfried Gnonto’s Dad decided to take up the night shift at his textile factory workplace.

In situations where Boris had to work during the day, his wife, Chantal, would take up the responsibility of driving their son, Willy, to train.

In some cases, Inter Milan became helpful in providing a van to pick Gnonto up at the Meina motorway exit. The van would also pick him up from school to take him to match days or football training.

The gigantic leap:

Gnonto’s fast-emerging talent became noticeable during his years in the Inter’s Under 15 team.

During his time at that level, he scored ten goals plus an additional 20 goals when he was catapulted into the Under-17. Behold the young Inter Milan goal-scoring machine.

With the Nerazzurri’s Under-17 team, Gnonto stood out among his peers. The Rising star of Italian football was instrumental in helping his team win the youth championship in 2019.

Like Cesare Casadei‘s, Gnonto’s youth career success was not an accident but a result of learning, hard work, and perseverance.

Helping Inter Milan youth achieve this great feat earned the Gifted soccer player a call to the Italian Under-16 team.

As his goals kept coming for his club side, Gnonto got an uplift to his country’s under-17 side. In 2019, he was called to debut at the Under 17 FIFA World Cup.

Wilfried Gnonto Biography – Road to Fame:

The performance he put in at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup became a major turning point in the career of the Verbania native.

Wilfried Gnonto was only 15 in that tournament in which he scored a brace. In fact, Gnonto’s two goals were celebrated on Twitter by the almighty FIFA.

Wilfried Gnonto’s goals at the FIFA U-17 World Cup didn’t end there, as he scored against Mexico. His Azzurrini team reached the quarter-finals and got eliminated by Gabriel Veron‘s Brazilian team, who went on to win the tournament.

A year after participating in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Gnonto left Italy for Switzerland. In a bid to get the first team opportunity upon becoming a professional footballer, the move to Zürich was mandatory. By implication, he never became a senior player with Inter Milan.

Gnonto avoided competing against Inter’s first-team regular stars. We talk about the likes of Romelu Lukaku (CF), Lautaro Martínez (CF), Alexis Sánchez, and Ivan Perisic. These players were Antonio Conte‘s trusted forwards in his days as Inter Boss.

Life in Zurich, Switzerland:

“Leaving Inter Milan after eight seasons there’s difficult but in football, sometimes you have to make difficult decisions,”

In fact, joining the Swiss club, Zürich, at the tender age of 16 wasn’t an easy decision. The whole essence was to play as a starter for any given club. As a show of his professionalism, Gnonto immediately began taking German lessons privately so he could integrate faster.

For the youngster, playing in a club from another country was a privilege and honour. Willy tried to take advantage of all the opportunities by giving his best.

The Latinist of the goal, as they nickname him, stunned everyone by helping the club to win the 2021/2022 Swiss Super League trophy.

Because of his bravery in front of goal, Wilfried suddenly became an idol of the Zurich fans. Through fans’ praise, he got his second nicknamed “Superjolly”. It didn’t end there; the club’s fans dedicated the Swiss version of his special “Willy Gnonto Song”.

Thanks to his heroics, Wilfried Gnonto got included in the Guardian’s 60 of the best young talents in world Football born in 2003. That list contains names like Jamaal Musiala (AM), Florian Wirtz (AM), Xavi Simons (AM), etc.

Leeds United:

Following Marcelo Bielsa‘s departure and the arrival of the American coach Jesse Marsch, the English club witnessed a new era. Major departures like Raphinha and Kavin Phillips saw instant replacements in Tyler Adams (DM), Brenden Aaronson (AM), and Gnonto, etc.

The Ivorian-Italian has so far impressed the club and fans. Gnonto had a solid debut start in the Premier League, a game in which he assisted Crysencio Summerville in a win against almighty Liverpool.

As a perfect alternative to Jack Harrison, the youngster has fulfilled the early promise he made to fans upon joining The Old Peacock. The rest, as we say, is now history.

Love Life:

With his impressive career story so far, it is fair to say that the Winger of Ivorian descent is destined to have a successful career.

Now, there is a saying that behind every successful Italian footballer comes a glamorous WAG. To this end, we asks this question.

Who is Wilfried Gnonto dating?

An enquiry into the love life of the energetic Winger.

At the time of writing Wilfried Gnonto’s Bio, he appears not to have a romantic relationship. Following the advice of his parents, the youngster appears to be focused on his Leeds and Italian career. Wilfried Gnonto’s dating life remains silent at this early stage of his senior career.

Personal Life:

Who is Wilfried Gnonto?

Not many football lovers know his tribal name is Degnand. This name has its origins in Côte d’Ivoire, the county of Wilfried Gnonto’s Parents. The Athlete prefers being called Willy rather than his first or traditional name, Degnand.

Gnonto idolized a Legendary footballer when he was a child. This idol is none other than Lionel Messi.

At the conclusion of the Finalissima 2022 match between Argentina and Italy, the Winger waited for Leo outside the locker room for an hour just to get his autograph.

Wilfried Gnonto Lifestyle:

Outside football, the Athlete lives a serene and calm life. It is important to note that Willy Gnonto is someone who loves to study.

When he joined Zürich, his parents had to bring all his books to his home. Willy Gnonto had enough to read outside during his leisure time. In the words of his Dad, Boris, on Rai Radio1;

“He asked me: ‘Dad, please bring all my books to me because I think I’ll stay in Zurich for a while'”.

Wilfried Gnonto Family Life:

The Verbania Athlete relies on his Dad and Mum for encouragement and emotional support.

In addition, Willy also turns to their family for practical assistance with some career matters. Now, let’s tell you more about them.

Wilfried Gnonto’s Mother:

As of 2023, Chantel is nearing her 26th year of stay in Italy. Before her son’s debut with the Azzurri, she had quit her hotel job. Credits must be given to Chantal for having raised a boy with so much humility (like Ngolo Kante).

Wilfried Gnonto’s Mum, together with his Dad, once lived in Zurich, where their precious Willy, their son, plays football.

So far as we can tell, Chantal is an education advocate. The effort of Wilfried Gnonto’s Mum has seen her son excel at his high school diploma. With her help, he could pass his German exam in Switzerland (all of which happened when he turned 18).

Wilfried Gnonto’s Father:

Boris no longer works in the textile factory as a night shift staff. Together with his wife, Chantal, he approved his son’s decision to leave classical high school.

This was because Willy couldn’t combine studying with training. Boris Noel Gnonto ensured his son’s books were always available for him to read.

The Athlete’s Dad works closely with Claudio Vigorelli (Gnonto’s agent) and Vigo Global Sports Services Srl.

This is the football agency that (as of 2023) manages players like Nicolò Zaniolo. Boris’ primary duty is to ensure the business aspects of his son’s career are well taken care of.

Wilfried Gnonto’s Siblings:

From what it seems, it appears he is the only child of his parents, Chantal and Boris. It could also be that information regarding Wilfried Gnonto’s brother or sister is kept private by the footballer and might not be relevant to the public image of his career.

Wilfried Gnonto’s Relatives:

One thing is sure, the fact that Willy has extended family members in Côte d’Ivoire, the country of his parents. Far away in the West African country, they form Gnonto’s support base.

One or a few of Gnonto’s relatives may likely play supportive roles by attending games, as well as providing him encouragement and motivation.

Untold Facts:

In the final phase of Wilfried Gnonto’s Biography, we’ll unveil more truths you might not know about him. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Wilfried Gnonto Salary:

The contract he signed with Leeds United sees him earning the sum of £468,720 annually.

How rich is Gnonto?

In the African country his family comes from (Côte d’Ivoire), the above-average citizen earns 12,646 euros annually. Such a citizen would need 37 years to make Wilfried Gnonto’s annual salary with Leeds United.

Wilfried Gnonto Profile (FIFA):

At the age of 18, the Italian could boast of a near-perfect movement attribute, one that is similar to youngsters like Anthony Elanga and Alejandro Garnacho.

More interestingly, Gnonto lacks only two things in football (below the 50 mark average) aside from defending. They are his Free Kick accuracy and Interception ratings of 46 and 25.

Wilfried Gnonto Religion:

The Italian Athlete was raised by his parents (Boris Noel and Chantal) as a devoted Catholic.

Wilfried Gnonto was raised in an oratory operated by parish priest Don Alfredo. Although his religion is Christianity, the Italian footballer hardly goes public about his faith.

EndNote:

The Athlete’s nickname is Willy, a name derived from his first name Wilfried. Degnand, his traditional name, has its origin in Côte d’Ivoire, the country of Wilfried Gnonto’s parents. Willy arrived in the world on the 5th day of November 2003 to his Dad, Boros and Mum, Chantal.

Both of Gnonto’s parents have been living in Italy for the past two decades. His Mum is almost 26, and his Dad is almost in his 30-year stay. For many years, the couple lived in Baveno, where they were the caretakers of an oratory.

Boris and Chantal are thankful for parish priest Don Alfredo. He gave them an incredible hand to live in the oratory, and he welcomed them like children into his Catholic church. The catholic priest, Don Alfredo, gave them the house where we were custodians for years.

Similar to Sandro Tonali, the new blue promise from Baveno first kicked the soccer ball at the oratory. As a child, Willy Gonoto’s Idol was Lionel Messi. He learned the skills of the Albiceleste playmaker by watching several YouTube videos of him, and he also tried to emulate him.

Regarding his education, Willy Gnonto attended a liceo classico before proceeding to secondary school at a liceo scientifico. The Italian footballer began his career with the academies – Baveno and Suno. At age nine, he was scouted by the Nerazzurri.

Career Endnote:

Wilfried Gnonto’s parents took turns travelling a 120-kilometre round trip almost every day to get him for training with the Nerazzurri shirt. At the age of 16, the young striker decided to go to play for Zürich in Switzerland, where he would become a starter for the club.

Gnonto achieved a meteoric rise in Switzerland as well as in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He became an idol of the Zurich fans, who gave him the nickname “Superjolly”. They also dedicated a song to him, the “Willy Gnonto Song”, which now has an Italian version.

As I conclude this Bio, Willy’s football goal is focused on helping his country qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The English team (Leeds United) clinched a £3.8m deal for Wilfried Gnonto, and the club is helping propel his dreams into reality.

Appreciation Note:

Thank you for taking the time to read our version of Wilfried Gnonto’s Biography. We care about accuracy and fairness in our mission of delivering the stories of athletes who play for Italy’s national football team.

Gnonto’s Bio is part of our larger archive of European Football Stories. Please let us know via comment if you find anything that doesn’t in this article about the Ivorian-Italian wonderkid. Also, please tell us what you think about the Baveno baby who ignites Italy.

Aside from Wilfried Gnonto’s History, we’ve got other interesting Italian Football Stories. Surely, the Life Stories of Giacomo Raspadori and Simon Adingra will excite you.