The Bundesliga has been a breeding ground for Nigerian talents since the early 90's. From Jay Jay Okocha, to Michael Oliseh, Victor Ikpeba, and the recent history made by Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella at Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Boniface and Tella were integral parts of the Bayer squad that went 51 games unbeaten across all competitions in Europe, winning the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal, while losing the UEFA Europa League final to Ademola Lookman's Atalanta.
Boniface moved to Werder Bremen this summer, and he came on against Bayern Munich last week in the 61st minute.
I was watching the game, and when the Super Eagles forward came on, Vincent Kompany's side were already two goals up. Harry Kane scored the game's third goal four minutes later.
In the 86th minute, Boniface thought he'd scored his first goal for his new side, only for the flag to go up for offside. A minute later, I saw a young teenager dazzle through two Werder defenders and was involved in the build-up to set up Bayern's fourth goal, and his name – Wisdom Mike.
I was in awe, and I could tell he had a Nigerian background. Turns out he'd come on in the 84th minute, and that was his first appearance in Bayern colours, becoming the second-ever youngest debutant in the club's history.
Who is Bayern's Wisdom Mike?
Born on September 24, 2004, in Munich, Germany, Wisdom Okpako Mike joined the youth academy of MSV Duisburg in 2019 and later that year joined the academy of five-time Bundesliga winners, Borussia Mönchengladbach.
FC Bayern are set to pay €300k to sign 13-year old striker Mike Wisdom from Borussia Mönchengladbach. He will join U-15 team per @plettigoal. #Bayern
Gladbach director Virkus: “Such deals are anything but beneficial for German football, it's distasteful”, he told @rponline. pic.twitter.com/uXnxXwcJnQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 24, 2022
Bayern Munich paid €300k to sign Mike Wisdom from Gladbach in 2022, a deal that was termed ‘distasteful' by Gladbach director Roland Virkus.
He's also gone on to score five goals and provide an assist in eight games for the club's U-19 team.
Primarily a left winger, the fleet-footed wide man can also play as a right winger and a centre-forward. Mike has also represented Germany at the U-15, U-16, and U-17 teams.
