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Chirao, who has expressed his love for Kenyan culture, is making his presence felt in Swiss football, showing progress coming through Basel's youth ranks.
Niels Chirao, a 17-year-old defensive prodigy, born to a Kenyan father from Mtwapa, is a player on the rise, itching to graduate to FC Basel’s first team.
Although still only a teenager, Chirao is already playing for the Basel U21 side, epitomising how highly regarded he is for the Swiss giants.
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11:35 - 04.10.2023
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Born on January 18, 2006, Chirao is making his presence felt in Swiss football as he is making excellent progress coming through Basel's youth ranks.
In the 21/22 season, he featured regularly for the under-16 men's team, before graduating to the u18s side when he was 16.
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09:00 - 04.10.2023
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He now plays with the U21 side, which currently competes in the Promotional League, the third tier of Swiss football, where he is already being exposed to men's football by playing against adults on a weekly basis.
He has so far made five appearances for the side, clocking 268 minutes as a right back according to TransferMarkt.
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He has made the starting eleven in 44 percent of those minutes he has clocked under his belt, and featured in 33 percent of the available minutes, which is understandable considering he is a 17-year-old playing in a side with an abundance of 20-year-olds.
According to the club’s website, he is described as a player whose biggest strengths are his positioning, anticipation, decision-making, and marking abilities, which underpins his ability to be solid as a rock.
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09:48 - 29.09.2023
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The Harambee Stars defender had a decent individual outing despite his side's 4-2 humiliation.
While holding Swiss nationality, Chirao maintains a strong connection to his Kenyan roots in Mtwapa.
He openly expresses his love for Kenya and even makes periodic visits, typically every four years, and has openly revealed that his favorite Kenyan food is pilau, chapati, and beef choma.
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21:00 - 01.10.2023
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The former Gor Mahia defender had to go through humiliation as he was subbed off at half time, although it is unclear why considering he did have a decent, if unspectacular, showing.
His consistent rise through FC Basel's ranks suggests that it's only a matter of time before he makes his mark in the men's first team or attracts attention from European top-flight clubs if he continues with the same trajectory.
As his contract with FC Basel is set to expire on June 30, 2024, there is great anticipation for a contract extension in the coming year, further solidifying his promising career in Swiss football.
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07:00 - 21.09.2023
FOOTBALL Why Erick ‘Marcelo’ Ouma gave a young AIK pitch invader his phone number
The young AIK fan stormed the pitch after full-time to hug the Kenyan defender.
Chirao is not the only player with Kenyan roots who plies his trade in Switzerland. 25-year-old Magnus Breitenmoser was born in Switzerland to a Swiss father and a Kenyan mother. He has represented Switzerland at youth level, but is yet to play for the senior side.
Plying his trade for Finnish side AC Oulu, he could still represent Harambee Stars at international level.
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21:00 - 01.10.2023
STARS ABROAD Solid Okumu orchestrates defence as Stade Reims soar to victory
The Harambee Stars defender picked up where he left from against Lille with another brilliant performance to help Reims beat struggling Lyon 2-0 on Sunday afternoon.
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