REMI Efunnuga is putting his well-travelled experience to good use as he looks to be a success at Mossley.
Even the implied racist abuse he experienced during a stint in Croatia.
The midfielder certainly has what it takes away from the field as he has started a degree in biomedical science at Manchester Metropolitan University.
What he has been through on the pitch is also coming in useful as David Fish’s side looks to succeed in the Northern Premier League West Division.
Including the bad side of living in eastern Europe as Efunnuga, who last played at Zmaj Makarska, said: “When you go to countries like that, you don’t hear it as much nowadays, but you do know it’s still there in the background.
“It was me and two other black lads, the only black lads in the city, so there were a lot of stares and things like that.
“But when you’re there to focus on football, that’s what you do. People had a few things to say but you just move on.
“The abuse isn’t obvious, but you can almost sense it. It was that type of vibe.
“My parents weren’t too keen on me going at first, but they saw what the club had for me, they set it out well, everything was covered and I got a wage.
“Once I was out there and kicking a ball, that’s all you care about. A lot of people think, ‘Going out there will be difficult as you won’t see your mates,’ but if you’re out there kicking a ball and that’s what you enjoy doing, so be it.
“And I developed. Negative things can bring a positive out of people – that’s what it did for me.”
Croatia was just another stop on what is already not your typical football journey for Nigeria-born Efunnuga, who is based in Manchester’s Monsall area.
But the benefits can be seen at Mossley as he 19-year-old added: “I started playing at about 14 or 15, at high school I was focused on the academic side, and had an extended trial period at Stoke a year later.
“I was released from there and went to clubs like Port Vale and Fleetwood on trial. At 17, I was signed by Matlock Town and at the back end of last season, I got a call from my agent that a club out there wanted me.
“I did a one-week trial and did well, so I signed and did half a season there. It was a great experience, much different to here.
“Life was difficult. It was a different style of play, a different language – they don’t speak much English there, it was very broken. I didn’t have a coach who spoke English.
“But it was good for my career development to see what it’s like there, personal development too. I learned loads of things.”
Mossley have already showed they can compete with the best. A 1-0 league win over heavily-fancied Hednesford Town followed an FA Cup win at Whitby Town, who compete in the division above.
Now for National League North Chorley, whose manager Andy Preece watched the Lilywhites defeat Hednesford.
And playing against a bigger team can bring more out of Fish’s side, as well as that family feel and a rather blunt mission statement.
Efunnuga told The Correspondent: “It’s very easy to buy into that, it’s just a family. The fans are a big part of the club too. Once they get behind us, Seel Park is a difficult place to come.
“I didn’t expect much coming in but we’ve a good manager and staff pushing us on. It’s a really good environment, when you build that, you can go very far in a season.
“We seem to play well against the bigger teams and Chorley is a big one for us. They’re a very difficult team to play against.
“But coming to Seel Park. If we get a few down and make it a fortress, we’ve got a very good chance.
“I definitely see it as a chance to show what I can do and we’ve a very athletic squad. When you go up the levels, it’s not so much about technique but how long you can do things for and at what intensity.
“We’ve got some big players and it’s us against them. F*** them. That’s what we say in the dressing room.
“We stay as Mossley. It’s Mossley against the world, that’s it.”