Lithuania, Romania, UAE: HSV star on his incredible career journey | OneFootball

When HSV made their move for Philip Otele at FC Basel during the winter and secured the services of the winger, many fans were especially astonished by the extraordinary career path of the player.

The Nigerian, for whom the Red Shorts have a purchase option worth five million euros, has taken a rather unconventional career path. His journey led him through Lithuania, Romania, and the United Arab Emirates before arriving in Switzerland, from where he joined HSV.

A move to a top-five league was still a long way off in 2019. Back then, Otele, at the age of 20, signed with the little-known club Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania. “I will be forever grateful to them. That was the club that first gave me the chance to play professional football,” Otele explained to HSV.de. “Kaunas will always be family to me because they believed in me, even though I took part in the tryouts without any professional training.”

The now 26-year-old continues: “Even after that, the sporting directors and the coach had a lot of patience with me and forgave me for tactical mistakes, for example. It was a very important step for me.”

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Philip Otele: From Romania and the UAE to HSV

Otele also speaks positively about his time in Romania, where he played for UTA Arad and CFR Cluj between 2022 and 2024: “It was a great experience. I played for two good teams there, where I was able to further develop both as a player and as a person. Life in Romania was also exciting. The people there were extremely friendly to me and made it easy for me to feel at home.”

One thing is clear: the left winger looks back on a career that has been marked by far more obstacles than those of his teammates. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be a disadvantage. Quite the opposite. “I see my career path as a blessing,” Otele says emphatically. “Everything in life happens for a reason.”

He adds: “At first, I had difficulties establishing myself as a footballer in Europe due to problems with my work permit, but I still followed my path. In Lithuania, I was far from my family and on my own, but I fought through because I really wanted to realize my dream of becoming a professional footballer. These experiences have shaped me immensely.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.