I was almost done with the game.. I was ready to head home, drain our savings but now I’m a Euro groupie
FUNSO OJO has gone from almost quitting football to the verge of the group stage of the Europa Conference League with Aberdeen.
The midfielder spent the second half of the season on loan at Wigan Athletic and became so disillusioned that he talked about hanging up his boots and going back home to Belgium.
He spoke to Salford City but couldn’t agree a contract and then he decided to go back for pre-season with the Dons under new Pittodrie manager Stephen Glass.
In the end he might not have switched careers but it has seen him change positions, as he has been transformed from a holding-midfielder to an attacking player.
Ojo has become a key man for Aberdeen and will be pivotal as they look to overturn Qarabag’s 1-0 advantage when they come to the Granite City on Thursday night.
Asked if he was ready to quit the Dons, Ojo admitted: “Not only my Pittodrie career.
“If I am honest, I told my missus, ‘Let’s just go back home and we will see what happens’.
“I was almost done with the game if I am being really honest.
“I had one year left, so I would have been a good team-mate and supported the guys and try to give some knowledge and then, after the end of the season, head back home and then see. Drain the savings.”
Ojo is a trained physical instructor and has also dabbled in property but now the only thing he wants to land is a home win over Qarabag to guarantee European football until Christmas.
He explained: “Over the years, I have used my time wisely. I have done some things in real estate.
“I have done a PT course as well, so I have got options and I was ready to explore those options but that is not the case now. I’m still a footballer.”
Derek McInnes fought hard to sign Ojo and managed to see off Hibs to land him in 2019.
His former boss then had to send him out on loan in January to free up funds to strengthen his strike force.
He knew when Glass took over that he would want his own players and he considered a move to Salford City but couldn’t agree terms.
The 29-year-old said: “It wasn’t really a difficult decision because I still had a year left. It’s a good contract and not something you would just give up easily.
“Obviously, the joy has to be there and I’m not just going to extend my football career unhappily. So it was an easy decision to just sit this contract out even if I was not playing.”
Ojo went back to Cormack Park in hope rather than expectation and was quietly surprised, as his fortunes dramatically turned around.
He admitted: “I just kept my head down in pre-season and did what they told me even if I didn’t like it and it worked out.
“But then coming back we did a lot of passing drills and that is stuff I like to do during the week.
“I told him [Glass] that training during a week does a lot for me even if I am not in the squad and don’t play.
“If I enjoy myself Monday to Friday, you’ll have a good guy in me and I’ll support the team-mates. The training sessions have just been that good.
“Obviously, I like him [Glass]. I like the whole staff and just everything around the club at the moment. I am still happy to be an Aberdeen player.”
The former PSV Eindhoven youngster opened his Aberdeen account in the weekend draw with Hearts, which maintained both side’s unbeaten Premiership starts.
His next goal is to ensure that Aberdeen get the result they need against the Azerbaijanis.
“I have not kept count because normally I am not there to score goals,” Ojo joked.
“But this season it has changed a bit and it was a good one to get.
“We really felt there was something there for us in the game.
“We know we didn’t play as we should have done in the first half. “It made it easier for us when they dropped to a back four because we know how to find the pockets, so we were happy with our second half and also know we should start like that.”