Men’s varsity soccer rookie Jonni Okai was named the CU/Ottawa Senators athlete of the week for Sept. 7 – 14 (Photo: Lasia Ktrezel)

He claims to be the world’s best FIFA video game player, but 18-year-old Jonni Okai is looking just as good on the field as he is on the sofa. Last week the rookie men’s varsity soccer player was voted one of Carleton University Ravens/Ottawa Senators athletes of the week, after scoring three goals against Royal Military College in a 7-0 Ravens victory.

Okai spoke to The Charlatan’s Alyshah Hasham about playing soccer, his ambitions, his role model and how he balances soccer with schoolwork.

The Charlatan (TC): Where did you grow up?

Jonni Okai (JO): I was born in Atlanta. But my mom is a diplomat so we moved around a lot – I lived in Nigeria, Paris, Rome and then Nigeria again, and now Canada.

TC: When did you start playing soccer?

JO: When I was very young, in school.

TC: Was there anyone who supported you through your soccer-playing career?

JO: My dad and mom play tennis, and they love sports. And I guess I chose soccer not tennis.

TC: Why did you choose soccer over tennis?

JO: I’d rather use my feet than my hands. I love the dribbling aspect of soccer.

TC: How did it feel scoring those three goals against the Royal Military College last weekend?

JO: It was pretty exciting.

TC: What’s your favourite soccer moment?

JO: It was in high school, a play-off game, in the second half of extra time. And it started snowing so it was muddy everywhere. It was 1-1 and my brother passed the ball to me and I scored in the last minute.

TC: What has been your biggest challenge in your soccer career?

JO: It’s kind of hard to balance school and soccer. It’s important to do well in school. When I work hard I perform well, just like everyone else.  I hope I don’t have trouble at university, and so far so good.

TC: What do you hope to get out of this soccer season?

JO: I wanna [sic] win everything! I hate losing . . . and rookie of the year wouldn’t be bad. I just want to do good in both school and soccer, excel at both.

TC: Would you like to play soccer after you graduate?

JO: Yeah. Who wouldn’t want to be paid to play soccer?

TC: If you could play for any soccer team in the world, who would you play for?

JO: Manchester United.

TC: And what if you don’t play soccer?

JO: I’d be an international businessman. I love travelling, being in Tokyo today, Bejing tomorrow. Whatever I do, it would have to involve a lot of travelling.

TC: What are your non-sporting interests?

JO: I used to do video editing on Sony Vegas and I like puzzles. I also enjoy reading books, like Eragon.

TC: Do you have a role model?

JO: Well, my mom I guess. She’s a single mom; she’s been taking care of my whole family since my dad left.

TC: Do you have a motto or words of wisdom that you live by?

JO: Well it’s not mine, it’s David Beckham’s: “It’s a round world, some time you’re up, some time you’re down. You just have to get on with it.”