‘The last don’ - St Catherine Walker Cup hero Croccifixio Thompson explains unique name

St Catherine High School goalkeeper Croccifixio Thompson is a two-time ISSA/Digicel Walker Cup champion. He also has a unique first name that he says was inspired by both his mother's faith and his father's taste in movies.

Thompson marshalled his team to schoolboy success yet again, beating Kingston Technical 1-0 in the Walker Cup final on Saturday, their second title in as many seasons. The achievement is as distinct as his first name, which Thompson said that his father first got the idea to give him his name based on Crocifisso, a character in a mafia movie that he watched.

"Well, my father was watching a movie called The Last Don and heard Crocifisso in it, it's basically a mafia movie," Thompson told STAR Sports. "He thought that was a good name for me. I don't know why."

The Last Don was a miniseries released in 1997 based on the novel written by Mario Puzo, the author who wrote the novel The Godfather, which spawned the famous Godfather film trilogy. When asked if he had watched any movies in the mafia genre, Thompson was quick to say no. However, it was his mother who decided to give the name some light, with her faith guiding her.

"Later down, my mother turned a Christian, so the mix of the mafia and Christianity was rough for me, but I like the name," he said.

His teammates, however, opted for a way to avoid complications in saying his name, opting for something simpler.

"Well, the team shortened my name from Crucifixio to Crucci. It's their way of saying that's easier for them," Thompson said. "I worked with that from first form all the way up."

While his name was inspired by the fusion of film characters and faith, he seeks to mirror his game after Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, whom he says is his favourite player.

"I'm a keeper that loves to use his feet, so basically I have his distribution and his awareness and reading of the game," he said.

Having won their first schoolboy football title in 2019, Thompson said that it is rewarding to see that their latest success has elevated the school's profile so quickly.

"The school, over the years, has been developing football and to be able to win two titles basically back-to-back is a great achievement," he said.