How do you describe a player who turned a lemon into lemonade? Enter Felix Agu, a 21-year-old fullback for Werder Bremen. A German from Nigerian descent.
Agu could have made his debut for Bremen in October against Hoffenheim. Before the match began, he tested positive for COVID-19. Bremen’s coach, Florian Kohfeldt, had to seek alternatives. Agu stayed in quarantine.
“For three weeks, I could not do much. I was most times on Facetime, and had support from family and friends,”, he said about the incident that truncated his beginning.
Agu had to bid his time. Because Bremen’s fullback positions remain occupied by more experienced players like Ludwig Augustinsson and Theodor Gebre Selassie. He had to train for the lost time in quarantine to gain match fitness.
Felix Agu’s chance arrived
He finally made his debut for Bremen in November against Bayern Munich as a substitute.
As fate would have it left back Augustinsson, sidelined by muscular problems against Augsburg, Agu’s time arrived. Kohfeldt waited for the COVID-19 tests before informing Agu of his nomination for the match. Guess what? He was a shooting star in the match!
Agu gave Theodor Gebre Selassie the assist for the first goal and increased the tally three minutes before full time with a curious, but interesting goal.
Agu’s nascent career in the Bundesliga begins with a dream goal. He alluded, “a Bundesliga goal is a childhood dream from every football player”.
Bremen, it seems, will make Agu’s career flourish in the Bundesliga. The team has a mix of young and old players. He is building his career capital to be a dependable alternative, waiting in the wings.
Coach Kohfeldt expressed his pleasure at the turn of events for Agu. He spoke about Agu in a pleasant tone and observed, “he is a quiet and respectful lad. But if he thinks nobody is watching, he dances around the dressing room”.
If he could survive the COVID-19 scare, then patience as a virtue is not a new territory for him. I destine the shooting star for greatness.
