Olaitan’s rise from obscurity

Michael Olaitan was never the footballer to wow the fans with dare-devil dribbling or outrageous skills.



The classic “no thrills, no frills” man, Olaitan first came to prominence, albeit on a very small scale with the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club, Mighty Jets.

His effective style of play which gave room for very few mistakes was always going to attract attention from Europe and it was really no surprise when he moved to the Greek Football League (second division) club, Veria.

He signed the dotted lines for the club in 2010 but managed just two substitute appearances in the league in the 2010/11 season.

Things improved drastically the next season and the midfielder played much more for the club.

Olaitan proved his worth as he bagged seven goals in 31 league appearances for the club in the 2011/12 season.

The next season, he repeated the trick as he played 29 league games and scored seven times yet again to suitably impress giants, Olympiacos who struck what proved to be a bargain as they sealed the deal with the starlet on a free transfer.

Learning the ropes with Nigeria

Olaitan was called up to the Nigeria U20 squad preparing for the 2013 Fifa World Cup in Turkey.

The starry-eyed youngster who was then on the books of Veria struggled to make the grade and was almost kicked out by the coach, John Obuh.

Obuh said he was shocked at how badly Olaitan played in the warm up games and was poised to throw him out of the team.

“He was not good enough. The players I had were better than him but I decided to be patient because I saw something unique.

“He’s very humble and always wanted to learn. That was his saving grace back then and today, I am pleased I gave him chance to play,” Obuh told supersport.com.

Olaitan was subsequently selected in the Nigerian squad for the competition in Turkey.

He played all of Nigeria’s games in the competition against Portugal, Cuba, Korea Republic and Uruguay.

It was time for the 21-year-old to take his next step and Olympiacos and Greece’s top flight beckoned.

Olympiacos and the quest for glory

Olympiacos are 40-time Greek champions and have also been successful 26 times in the Cup.

The club play their home games at the imposing 33,296 capacity Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki.

The midfielder struggled to assert himself in his earliest days at the club but slowly began to come to terms with his new surroundings.

He has been the most consistent player at the club in the last two months as exemplified by six goals in his last eight league games for the club.

Olaitan has scored eight league goals this season and has led the line admirably, even from his withdrawn position following the departure of lethal striker, Kostas Mitroglou to Barclays English Premier League club, Fulham.

The theatre and the stuff of dreams

Olympiacos have been drawn to face three-time European champions, Manchester United in the round of 16 in the Uefa Champions League . The first leg will be played in Greece on February 25 with the second leg due to come up on March 19 at the famed Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford.

Olaitan’s impressive form in recent weeks mean he will play both games against the Red Devils barring any calamity of monumental proportions and the former Mighty Jets man will again, look to live the dream.