How Liverpool Signed Me, Kept Me for 6 Years and Never Let Me Play — Taiwo Awoniyi Opens Up.

I will never forget the day Liverpool signed me in 2015. I was 18, fresh off winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup with Nigeria, and I thought my dream had finally come true. But I had no idea I was about to live six years of my career without playing a single game for the club that owned me.

They said it was because of a work permit issue and yes, I understood the rules. But season after season, I was shipped off on loan… Germany, Netherlands, Belgium… seven clubs in total. I felt like a player nobody wanted to see succeed under their own badge. There were days I asked myself: “Why did Liverpool sign me if they never planned to use me?”

It was a test of faith. Every new city meant starting over, learning a new language, a new system, and proving myself all over again. And when I finally got my work permit in 2021, I was no longer a Liverpool player. They had already sold me to Union Berlin.

Looking back, I’m grateful because those years built my resilience. But I won’t lie: being owned by one of the biggest clubs in the world and never wearing their shirt in a real match is a pain I’ll never forget.

Now at Nottingham Forest, I’ve scored the goals that kept us in the Premier League. And every time I find the back of the net, I remember all those years people thought I wasn’t good enough.

Have you ever been in a place where you were wanted only in name but never truly valued? Share your story.

Source: BBC Sport – Taiwo Awoniyi: From U17 World Cup winner to Nottingham Forest hero