Thanks to Italian cinema, one of the most popular definitions of the concept of "genius" is the one that describes it as "imagination, intuition, flair and speed of execution". Although genius is regarded as such almost irrespective of the field in which it operates, as if it were an innate and inescapable character, the term is often used in the world of art and creativity in its broadest sense. Among the arts, painting is perhaps the most free from the shackles of rules, allowing very abstract concepts to be represented through quick and impulsive actions, in which light, material and narrative are enclosed. We must not fall into the trap that in painting, genius does not pass through a phase of study and experimentation, which in many cases takes place in academies, just like the one in which Noah Okafor, the protagonist of the new episode of More Than, is portrayed.

The AC Milan player is a perfect example of how imagination and speed can help define the idea of talent. With the increase in speed and the exasperation of the game around individual clashes - both physical and technical - it seems that the new football depends more and more on the imagination, intuition and speed of execution of those players who orbit in the last third of the field, just like Noah Okafor. The Rossoneri player embodies the characteristics of those fantasy footballers who are instinctive and able to move the public like artists, creating a link with the idea of the "Beautiful Game".

The concept of "genius" is linked to art with the current of Romanticism, but the meaning with which it was used in the 1700s is not far removed from the way we understand it today. Those personalities are capable of transferring a strong personal vision into what they do, in doing so defining better than others the idea the public has of them. The naturalness with which footballers are able to express fantasy on the pitch is one of the most direct forms of communication between player and audience, a language that connects a universal concept to pleasure, creating an emotional lexicon that unites art and football, as Noah also recognises:

"I'm not the biggest art expert, and I can't boast of extensive knowledge. But I know that many things can have an artistic quality. There are so many parallels between art and football – to paint a picture, you need patience and precision, as well as courage when you want to express something special. Paintings can be impressive, daring, and crazy. They can have something fascinating and captivate you. I like this complexity. For me, art is something that leaves me amazed and makes me look again. Painters, fashion designers, and athletes can all be great artists – each making waves with very different things."

Among the many parallels that could be drawn between art and football, one of them is the inescapable link with a working tool, an indispensable prerogative for creating something physical and visible, something that comes out of the world of imagination and abstraction. In the shots taken with Noah Okafor for this issue of More Than, the ball represents what the paintbrush is to an artist, as the Milan striker poses between easels, canvases and equestrian sculptures on display in Milano Painting Academy. Inside there is no one course, no one artistic current is taught, but rather how to handle a gift, manage it and make it visible. Students move around Noah as if he too were a student, as if the place were a school for different types of talent, with canvases of still life, genre painting, sacred scenes and more abstract work of art.