Taribo West, the former footballer famous for his colorful braids, who also played with Inter and Milan in Serie A, is a priest today.
The Nigerian, who retired from football in 2007, after a career where he was active with Auxerre, Inter, Milan, Derby County or Kaiserslautern, founded a church in 2014, through which, as he says, he has helped to the homeless and the Nigerian women who were sent to Italy to work as prostitutes.
"I gave them a place to stay and then we looked for jobs for these people", explains Taribo West.
The 48-year-old says that all Christians are invited to his church, without exception.
Taribo West was a big believer during his time in Italy, so much so that he once tried to convince Inter coach Marcello Lippi to play as a starter, saying that God had appeared to him and told him that he should to play This argument did not convince Lippi.
"Shortly after the World Cup in France (1998), the spirit of God appeared before me and told me to become a priest," recalls West.