Oliver Burke, born on 7 April 1997 in Scotland, is a football forward who primarily plays as a right winger for Werder Bremen. Standing at a solid 6ft 2in (1.88m) and weighing in at 12st 12lb (82kg), Burke is an imposing figure on the field. Favouring the number 15 jersey, Burke's career has been characterised by varying stints at clubs across Europe.
Burke kicked off his career as a trainee at Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League in July 2005. During the period from 2014 to 2017 at Nottingham Forest, Burke made a total of 27 first team appearances and scored six goals in league matches. One notable stepping stone in his career was a brief loan to Bradford City in England's League Two in 2015, but he returned to Nottingham Forest after making two first team league appearances for Bradford.
In August 2016, Burke transferred from Nottingham Forest to RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga for a fee of roughly £13m. He appeared 25 times for RB Leipzig in league matches during the season 2016 - 2017, scoring one goal. From there, he moved to West Bromwich Albion in the English Championship for a reported fee of £15m in August 2017 where he spent a two-year stint marked by 20 first team appearances and mostly bench warming.
In January 2019, amid a flutter of excited whispers among Celtic supporters, Burke was loaned to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership from West Bromwich Albion. His time at Celtic, although brief, saw Burke enjoy a respectable run with 14 first team appearances and four goals in league matches during the 2018 - 2019 season. Without a doubt, the air at Celtic Park suited him.
However, his loan spell came to an end in August 2019 when he was transferred to Alaves in LaLiga, Spain from West Bromwich Albion. Following this, he made brief stays at Sheffield United and Millwall in the English Championship before eventually landing at Werder Bremen in the German Bundesliga in 2022 for an undisclosed fee.
His time at Werder Bremen has been interspersed with two loan spells, at Millwall and Birmingham City respectively, but he has returned to his current club each time. During his time in Germany, he has made 17 first team appearances so far, scoring two goals in league matches.
All said and done, Oliver Burke has proven his mettle across leagues and borders, always pushing forward and never resting on his laurels. Wherever the mercurial Scotsman goes next in his career, fans and observers alike will be keen to see what fruits his endeavours will bear.
