Porto arrive in Seville with a perfect Portuguese league record and Samuel Omorodion Aghehowa back in their attacking options, giving Real Betis a familiar figure to contend with when the sides meet at La Cartuja on Wednesday.
For Aghehowa, the European night carries a personal return as much as a competitive one. Seville was the city where he first began to believe professional football was possible, despite being released by Sevilla before his path took him to AD Nervión at the age of 12.
The Porto forward, born in Melilla on 5 May 2004, was unable to join Spain at the last World Cup because of injury. He has returned in recent weeks, however, appearing from Porto’s friendly against Deportivo de La Coruña through to the latest league fixture with Marítimo. He now hopes to resume his rise as a centre-forward capable of offering Spain fresh hope.
AD Nervión’s belief in a young striker
Manuel Fernández, the president of AD Nervión, recalls a tall, slender boy who initially arrived without attracting attention. There were doubts over how far he could develop, Fernández said, but the player quickly removed them through his performances.
Fernández also credits his wife, María Sánchez, with playing a decisive part during difficult years for the family. Aghehowa’s mother was facing severe financial hardship and could not always provide clothing or other basics. Sánchez offered encouragement, spoke regularly with the youngster and tried to help where she could.
Sánchez remembers the satisfaction of later seeing him arrive well dressed and in his own car, particularly because of what it meant for his mother. She said Aghehowa always fought for his family, with his mother doing everything possible to support him.
In 2024, the striker said he preferred to use Aghehowa, his second surname and the name inherited from his mother. Those around him at Nervión remember a quiet, polite player who did not seek the spotlight.
Goals, bus fares and a breakthrough
Sánchez tried to draw more ruthlessness from the young forward by telling him that goals were what mattered in football. She offered him five euros for every goal, and says he responded by scoring relentlessly.
Javi López, now sporting director of Betis Women and formerly one of Aghehowa’s coaches at Nervión, remembers a player who was uncomfortable accepting help or being singled out. At first, López said, Aghehowa resisted assistance; money was eventually given discreetly so he could buy a bus pass.
López coached him in the División de Honor Cadete A side. Midway through that season, Aghehowa trained with the group and completed the campaign across both the A and B teams. Before a match against Málaga, López gave him a pair of boots. In the following fixture, against Cádiz, the forward scored the goal that secured survival.
On the pitch, López saw an opportunistic striker who regularly found scoring positions. His finishing became increasingly refined, particularly during his time at Granada, but the coach believed the raw quality had always been there.
Aghehowa’s trip back to Seville therefore brings him close to the people who helped shape his career before Porto and European competition. Fernández, Sánchez and López all remember a player who was grateful, modest and never demanding. Porto’s trip to La Cartuja gives him the chance to add another chapter to that journey, while Betis must deal with a forward returning to the city that first gave him a platform.
