From Ukraine to China, this ex-Birmingham City player has had quite the journey: View | OneFootball

With close to 100 nationalities represented across the EFL this season, football is a sport representative of almost every nation and territory on Earth.

From the likes of Illan Meslier and Pierre Ekwah representing France, to those who perform under the flag of places further afield like Juninho Bacuna of Curacao or Iraq’s Ali Al-Hamadi, the world comes together to enjoy the beautiful game.

Naturally then, a career in the sport can lend itself to a spot of globetrotting if you so wish, with a player of a certain ability able to test their mettle across any continent they wish.

Viv Solomon-Otabor is a player that has taken the scenic route through his career path to date, with the former Birmingham City man playing football for ten clubs across five countries and two continents as it stands, and at 28-years-old there is still plenty more to see during his career.

Viv Solomon-Otabor had potential as a Birmingham City youngster

The attacking midfielder’s early career was very run of the mill; as he made his way through the Birmingham academy while featuring on loan for a number of non-league and EFL clubs along the way.

After making his professional debut for Oxford City in the sixth tier, the winger burst onto the scene at St Andrews in the 2015/16 season, where he made 22 appearances for the Blues; scoring his first EFL goal in a 5-2 victory over Fulham.

With game-time limited in the following campaign, Solomon-Otabor was on the move again, this time with a short loan move to Bolton Wanderers, before spending the whole of the next campaign with Blackpool in League One.

In what was something of a breakthrough season, the wideman featured 44 times in league matches for the Tangerines en route to a mid table finish, with five goals to show for his efforts during his time at Bloomfield Road.

The Seasiders’ most fond memory of their temporary signing would probably be an 88th-minute strike against Fleetwood Town that year, which started a remarkable late turnaround to take the bragging rights against their Fylde Coast neighbours.

That spell in the North West had obviously given Viv a taste for the coast, because after another handful of matches in the Midlands he was back on the move; with Fratton Park being his next destination.

A largely uneventful three months with Portsmouth garnered just the one goal - what proved to be the winner in a 3-2 classic with Walsall - before the now 28-year-old decided to pack his bags and begin his journey into the October Odyssey.

feature 19 times for a side that finished second in the Bulgarian top flight.

That year away was promptly followed by a return to the rather less exotic surroundings of Wigan Athletic and St Johnstone, with short-term deals at both hardly ideal for a player looking to nail down more game time as his career progresses.

Viv Solomon-Otabor's career took an unlikely twist in Ukraine

With minutes on the field becoming more and more limited, Solomon-Otabor did what anybody would do in that situation, and moved to Ukraine - obviously - and joined up with FC Rukh Lviv in the country’s sixth-largest city.

What was supposed to be a new dawn for the midfielder turned into something of a nightmare, with the country turning into a war zone just months after his arrival into the country, leaving him fleeing to Poland and returning to the UK.

He said at the time: “I’ve never seen a tank in real life. To actually see five drive past on our way to the border, ready to defend their country, was surreal.

“When we got to the Polish border, it was packed. Nothing was moving. Everybody was calm, but you could see the fear in their faces.

“When we crossed the border, we could finally breathe. But as we were driving through Poland, you could see a lot of Ukrainian people walking on the motorways.

“It wasn’t until we got home and I saw my family that I realised how bad the situation was.”

Despite being given the chance to leave the club due to the ongoing hostilities in the country, Solomon-Otabor returned to the country later that year, and featured in all but two of his side’s matches; registering five goal contributions in the process.

With minutes on the field once again becoming limited this season as his side fight for a top-four finish in the Ukrainian Premier League, the winger has once again decided to head to pastures new, and leave Europe once and for all.

Anyone who knows football knows that a move to a side with Cangzhou Mighty Lions’ prestige is a tough prospect to turn down once it’s offered to you, and the winger couldn’t resist a move to the Chinese Super League as a result.

Established in 2011, the former Birmingham City man was 15 years of age when the club was formed, and has seen former Brighton and Hove Albion forward Jurgen Locadia turn out for them in the past, as well as the sensationally-named Adriano Michael Jackson, who was no doubt involved in his fair share of Thrillers.

With a goal and four assists in his first six appearances in the Chinese Super League, Soloman-Otobor seems right at home in his new surroundings, with his new side hoping to top their 12th-placed finish from the previous campaign.

For the St. Andrew’s graduate it is just the next stepping stone in a career that shows no signs of settling down; the winger has certainly made the most of the opportunities that have come his way during his footballing journey, and there will no doubt be more jet-setting to come along the way.