THE JUMP from Irish football to the Premier League is not as improbable as it once might have seemed.
A couple of years ago, Chiedozie Ogbene was an up-and-coming youngster playing for Cork City and subsequently Limerick.
These days, he is lining out regularly for Luton Town and catching the attention of pundits like Jamie Carragher.
Zishim Bawa, Drogheda’s new signing, is a fan of Ogbene and has been watching his progress with interest.
Just like the Irish international, Bawa too is a speedy winger hoping to kickstart his career in the League of Ireland.
“Over the recent years I’ve been watching him, watching his story,” he tells The 42. “And that was fascinating to see where he came from. And you know, that’s the beautiful thing about football. It’s so diverse. It doesn’t really matter where you come from, but it’s what you can offer.”
Whereas Ogbene was born in Nigeria and lived most of his upbringing in Ireland, the opposite is true of Bawa, who was born in Dublin but moved away shortly thereafter.
The dual Nigerian and Irish citizen dreams of someday playing international football like Ogbene, potentially for the country of his birth.
“I would consider myself more Nigerian than Irish because I’ve lived in Nigeria more,” he says. “But I would love the opportunity to play for Ireland. I mean, it seems like a beautiful country.”
Bawa was a big Man United fan growing up and vividly remembers regularly watching Premier League and Nigeria matches with his extended family as a child.
“I would say my first football memory is watching football and you know, football is a very big big big thing in Nigeria. I remember any time there were big matches, everyone in my house would come together.
“My father, my mum, my brothers, my uncles, my aunts, my cousins and we would all watch football. And the atmosphere was crazy. Everyone would get excited.”
Bawa came from a very sporty background. His mother played basketball, and his father played football and ran track.
His brothers also regularly played football and basketball.
“I think the whole competitive spirit in my house was what led me to be comfortable,” he says.
“My biggest influence was probably my father and my brothers. The four of us are very, very competitive people. Just trying to be competitive with each other, pushing each other was really what drove me.”
“With my parents, sports were not as developed in Nigeria. So they reached a certain age where they had to choose more stable careers. But then my brothers are still quite young, they’re 19-20 and in the US right now. So they’re playing sports, particularly American football.”
Bawa initially also moved to America, attending the PSC (Pro Soccer Consulting) Academy in Arizona around the age of 17.
He combined playing football with finishing his last year of high school.
Was it daunting to move far away from home at such a young age?
“Yeah, it’s tough. But at the end of the day, [my brothers and I] all knew we had to sacrifice a lot of things to get to where we wanted to be.
“I can say so far, it’s been a tough journey. But it’s led me all the way here, so it’s a good thing.”
Bawa was scouted by Swedish side Bodens BK and signed his first professional deal at the age of 18.
For three seasons there, the winger scored 32 goals in 106 games, helping the team win promotion in 2022.
However, the 21-year-old says it was not a difficult decision to leave as he was “satisfied with what I achieved there”.
Bawa’s ultimate dream, of course, is to play in the Premier League like the footballers he idolised in his youth, though adds: “I still have a lot to learn, which makes me more excited to see where I can actually end up because I know I have so much to offer.”
The deal to sign with Drogheda was agreed only after Bawa impressed on trial.
“I think the team and the coach really made it comfortable for me,” he recalls. “It wasn’t as nerve-racking as it normally should be.”
Bawa, who lives in a house with teammates Oisin Gallagher, Jack Keaney, Frantz Pierrot and Hayden Cann, is full of praise for manager Kevin Doherty and enthusiastic about the Louth side’s prospects for the season.
“So far, I love working with [Doherty]. He has ideas of how he wants us to play and how he envisages every person on the team.
“And I just feel like, I really can’t wait to see the things we’ve practised, the things we’ve worked on, I just want to see how it’s going to translate in the league. I think we’re going to have a lot of success.”
On the recent move to Ireland, he continues: “When Drogheda were interested, it seemed like a really good opportunity to play in a good league and experience something different.
“I’m a very explosive player. I’m very fast. I make a lot of runs from deep. I’m a very exciting player and I think the fans will love to see what I have to offer.”
The Premier League may seem like a remote destination at present, but Bawa remains determined to get there someday and follow the trajectory of Ogbene and others who have benefitted from early experience in Irish football.
“It can be hard to be motivated sometimes,” he concludes. “But I just feel like if you keep believing in yourself, as much as it can be hard sometimes if you’re doing what you love, and remember that you love it, it doesn’t feel like a burden, or it doesn’t feel hard.”
