Jordan Obita’s rollercoaster journey to European hero has taken in international football with a certain £100 million striker and the serious contemplation of early retirement. No wonder he savoured his first goal for Hibernian this week.
Now 29, Obita was regarded as having enough promise in his early Reading career to catch the eye of Gareth Southgate and the England under-21 selectors. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Harry Kane, Eric Dier, James Ward-Prowse and Rangers keeper Jack Butland, Obita’s future looked bright when he scored once in two appearances for his country at the famous Toulon Tournament in France in 2014.
However, just three years later, disaster struck. The wide man injured his anterior cruciate knee ligaments and after repeated failed comebacks eventually racked up an unwanted hat-trick of operations before successfully making his comeback 23 months later in August 2019. It was a frustrating and both physically and mentally damaging time for the Englishman, who might have given up on football around Christmas 2018 had it not been for the persuasive words of his family.
Against that backdrop, it is no wonder Obita was determined to savour every moment of his dramatic 90th-minute strike that earned Hibs a 3-1 advantage against Luzern going into Thursday’s Europa Conference League third qualifying round second-leg in Switzerland. It has hauled Lee Johnson’s side within touching distance of a glamour Battle of Britain play-off against Aston Villa and a certain John McGinn.
“That [England under-21s] squad was unbelievable, to play with the likes of Harry Kane and these boys,” he said of his early days. “They’ve done really well. I’ve done well also but I can do more. I had my injuries but I’ve overcome them and I’m trying to get myself back up to the top divisions.
“I don’t keep in touch with these guys but if I ever come across them we’ll say ‘hi’. When we played against each other in cup games there was always that respect that we used to play together. But they’ve obviously done unbelievably.
“I don’t think at the time Harry was always starting but I could see in training, off both feet, all he wanted was goals. As you can see now, he’s a £100 million player. Fair play to him, he’s done very well.
“At the time, they were already at big clubs. I was at a Championship club in Reading. I did really well but I had a serious injury for two years, which put me back. That’s why I’m glad I’m playing at a really good level now because I’ve now overcome the injuries I had before and I’ve stepped up a level.
“Of course it makes you appreciate things more. At one point I didn’t know if I was coming back and to come back after two full seasons and now be on the European stage is pretty good. At my age now, you never think you’re going to get there, and to do it I’m really happy.”
Obita departed Reading in 2020 having played almost 200 games and landed at Hibs this summer after spells with Oxford United and Wycombe Wanderers. Nights like Thursday were part of the appeal of a move to Scottish football, despite never having set foot north of the border before.
“Europe’s a big attraction for anybody,” he added ahead of this afternoon’s Premiership encounter with Motherwell. “I’d never played in Europe before, in England you need to get to the Premier League for that. Also, the league, the manager, everybody. It wasn’t just one thing, it was the whole package.
“I’m loving it. I’d never been in Scotland before I came up here but I really, really love Edinburgh, it’s a really good city. I’m enjoying it and hopefully we can have a really successful season.”
