How I got Sevilla trial from social media post – Olagreat

Nigerian amateur footballer, Oladipupo Osineye, also known as Olagreat, who got a chance to have a trial with La Liga side Sevilla, talks about his journey and ambition in this interview with ABIODUN ADEWALE

You attracted attention on X with your Sevilla trial post. What inspired that tweet?

I just wanted to sign a professional contract and that was one avenue I could use to attract the attention of big teams to try out and show what I have.

Days after that, they posted a confirmation video. Has there been any formal contact between you and the club?

After they put out the video with another Nigerian player in their international team, telling me they’d love to have me around for the tryout, I also got a direct message on X, telling me the things I need to do which I have done already. I am just waiting for the next move and they have already put out another video in anticipation of the process.

So, why Sevilla?

I can’t say this is the reason per se; I usually shoot those shots at different teams. I actually started with Cadiz. I did that for 25 days last year but I got no response. This year, I just decided to shoot my shot with Sevilla and this happened. I also follow most of the Spanish teams and I have been following Sevilla keenly since they signed Chidera EJuke. I am a big fan of Ejuke himself, he is a very good player that I look up to. I’ve been on almost all their tweets and since they signed Kelechi Iheanacho too. I also enjoy Spanish football because of the technicality.

How has been your journey in football?

I have been playing football for almost all my life. My dad is a huge football fan and he organised a lot of sporting events when he was in school. My mum was also a volleyball player but she didn’t do it professionally. My parents had a standpoint of school before football and I just decided to play it alongside schooling. It was a hard task but I was able to pull through. I grew up in the Alagbado area of Lagos and started with a team called Diamond FC Academy. From there, I moved to Akure in Ondo State and I joined Bright FC, a club side at the Federal University of Technology, Akure. I was with them throughout my stay in the school and won four major titles consecutively. In my first year, I got a call from coach Blessing Johnson, the coach of Victor Boniface, to join Royal Gold Soccer Academy. I was also with them throughout my stay in Akure, meaning I was playing for a club in school and outside the school. I also played the FODAN League in Akure with Super Stars FC, winning it twice and also had a second-place finish with Royal Gold Soccer Academy. Aside from all these, I was still playing for my department, my faculty and the school team. We lived basically like part-time footballers in school and we had a very functional system at FUTA. I also tried out with Sunshine Stars FC’s B team but at that point, I couldn’t stay committed to the demands of a professional team because of school.

What did you study at FUTA?

I studied Computer Science.

Having been a part-time footballer due to school, how have you stepped up your game after school?

I stayed a bit in Akure after school but I moved back to Lagos after I lost my mum. As soon as I got back, I started freelance writing and I got a team through Twitter (now X). The team is G Innovation FC, they train at Ikeja Cantonment. I also joined Elite Stars FC and from there I joined 9th Planet FC before playing in the Lagos Liga with Super Stars FC.

Have you been making any money at the amateur level?

Most times when we get competitions and there is prize money attached, we used to have some money to share. At G Innovation FC, when we go to scouting programmes, we get stipends from the owner after covering some other fees. From some tournaments, I’ve got as high as N20,000 and the lowest I’ve got is like N1,500.

How do you cope with these meagre amounts?

It’s hard because most times, these amounts are not even enough to cover what you need as kits so you fall back to other things you are doing to make enough money. I’ve not been making money consistently from my freelancing gigs as well. So most times, help comes from family and friends.

You played in the 2024 Lagos Liga, how was that experience?

Lagos Liga is one of the biggest platforms I have had as an amateur footballer because not everybody pays attention to grassroots football. Having that kind of platform to showcase ourselves was a very laudable idea and being able to represent Super Stars FC was one of the turning points to what is happening presently. It’s one of the biggest things to have happened to Nigerian football and we are happy that we got that opportunity. We had to prepare, compete and meet other players with shared visions. During the Lagos Liga, we were paid and it was nice to have that kind of system.

I am aware some teams paid as much as N150,000 to their players during the Lagos Liga. Is that where you have made your biggest money aside from the ones you used to make?

Yes, that’s where I got the highest money I’ve made from amateur football, thanks to our owner Seye Dele. We got training allowances, feeding and whatever we needed to be relaxed and be in good shape for the tournament.

Does he intend to keep the team around?

He has already said that he will be having a new set of players for the next Lagos Liga. So, most of us are making moves already. One of us, Tomisin Alasiri just signed for a club in Portugal and I’ll be having a trial in Sevilla while other players are working on one move or the other as well. He has been investing a lot in us and he believes in us.

A few days after reaching the required retweets and there was no response yet from Sevilla, you came out later to say you just needed a trial with any team in Europe. Did you think Sevilla won’t come through?

I didn’t lose faith. After their first reply when they asked for 100,000 retweets, I needed to be sure which of the posts they wanted to get 100,000 retweets so I asked them. It took them over three hours to reply, I just kept on working on the three posts and afterwards, when they replied, we channelled the energy into it and I knew anything was possible at that point. At this point, it’s a trial and it’s just like getting an interview for a job. It doesn’t mean you have the job yet. The aim I have is to sign a professional contract and Sevilla have given me that opportunity to try out first.

So, how ready are you for this opportunity?

Understanding the rigours of football, there is never too much training. So, as it is, I still have to keep preparing mentally and physically. In the first place, getting the chance to go for the trial is an opportunity that meets preparation. I had started preparing before making the tweet. I was prepared for a response at any time. I know a lot can happen during trials, but I’m ready to give my best. I know when I get there, I will also meet Ejuke, Iheanacho and Adams as well as other Nigerians there and that alone can psyche me up.

Regardless of how this goes, this experience will change you forever, what are the things you are looking forward to?

There is always something new to learn. No matter how prolific you are as a goal scorer, there are still chances you will miss. You just have to keep pushing and I’ve built my resilience as well. So I am prepared for any eventuality. No matter the number of no that I get, I will keep pushing till I get a yes. Getting the tryout now is an opportunity to get others and I believe this will one will be positive.

A lot of people don’t know you’ve tried out with Sunshine Stars B before. Does that mean you nursed the ambition of playing in the NPFL?

For me to try out with Sunshine Stars B means that I have the idea of playing in the NPFL. I also missed a chance to try out with Might Jets and it felt like the whole world was coming down then. It’s not like I have not been trying to get into Nigerian teams in the entire league but it’s just hard. We just keep trying and get the ones we can get. Imagine I’ve been trying to make it into many teams in Nigeria and abroad but it’s Sevilla that is giving me the opportunity. That is just the way football is.

What career path do you intend to pursue after football?

A career path after playing football will most definitely be in football, either as a coach or an administrator.