Samu Omorodion reflected in an interview on his summer transfer window. After winning Olympic gold, he trained "separately" at Atlético de Madrid, and after a transfer to Chelsea fell through, he ended up at Porto. "It was really hard, I went through a rough time, so many nights crying..." he shared.

Omorodion is no stranger to challenges. His mother arrived in Melilla from Nigeria while pregnant with him, hoping for a better life. "My childhood was pretty tough," he says. "There were times when my mom didn’t have money for me to go to training, and we had to walk. Sometimes, we didn’t even have food... It’s tough." But his story has a happy ending, with Samu finally able to give back to his mother: "Last year, I was able to help her retire. I also bought her a house so she can enjoy what she couldn’t in the past," he reveals.

Now with seven goals in seven matches, he’s feeling good about his time at Porto. "I’m happy with how the season has started. I’ve joined a club and a team where I fit well with my style of play. It’s an attacking team that likes to play football. The best club in Portugal, where we’ll be fighting for titles."

Reflecting on his summer, when his name was everywhere in the market and the Chelsea deal seemed almost done before it collapsed, Omorodion said: "Winning gold made it less bitter. But yeah, it was a really tough summer. When I was in Madrid, I went through a really bad time. But in the end, thank God, everything worked out. If the Chelsea deal didn’t happen, it was for a reason, and it all turned out well."

"At Atlético, I was training apart from the team. I didn’t feel like a footballer. I was training, but my mind wasn’t there. It was tough. So many nights crying… My family and my mom had a really hard time... But in the end, thank God, everything got sorted quickly, and I made the best decision," the Porto player confessed about his bittersweet experience with Atlético.