Samuel Akeré

Before he had played a senior match anywhere in Europe, Samuel Akeré was pulled out of the G12 Academy in Nigeria and into the Golden Eaglets squad for the WAFU B qualifiers for the 2021 U17 Africa Cup of Nations, played in December 2020. He was named the second-best player in his zone across those qualifiers. Score Nigeria and AVG Sports, which reported the call-up, do not record how many caps he won or whether he scored.

The move abroad came quickly afterwards, and by an unusual route: FDC Vista in Russia took him for the 2021–22 season. He left after a year.

Botev Plovdiv is where the career took shape. He arrived in 2022 and spent his first year moving between the reserve side, Botev Plovdiv II, and the senior squad, with regular minutes from the 2022–23 season onwards. He stayed three years in Bulgaria.

Widzew Łódź paid Botev a fee reported at between €750,000 and €800,000 in the summer of 2025 and handed him a contract running to June 2029. He was gone by January.

The loan to NK Osijek runs to the end of the 2025–26 season and carries an option to buy, but Osijek hold every card on whether they use it: the club has tied the decision to its budget and to where it finishes in the league.