Oliver Burke, born on 7 April 1997 in Scotland, is known in footballing circles as a robust, right-sided forward. He presently finds himself at the helm of Werder Bremen's offence in Germany, donning their number 15 jersey. Standing at an intimidating 6ft 2in (1.88m), and weighing in at 12st 12lb (82kg), he casts an imposing figure on the field.
Emerging from Nottingham Forest as a trainee in July 2005, Burke had his first taste of the Premier League. The Scottish lad made an impressive 27 appearances with the Reds in three seasons, netting six goals. However, his progress was momentarily stalled as he was loaned to Bradford City in League Two in February 2015. Despite two appearances for the Bantams, Burke returned to Nottingham Forest before the close of the season.
With the 2016 season, Burke found his footing on foreign soil, transferring to RB Leipzig in Germany's Bundesliga in a deal rumoured to be around £13m. Two seasons saw him find the back of the net once in 25 appearances. Nevertheless, his return to England in August 2017, signing with Championship side West Bromwich Albion for an estimated £15m, was rather lacklustre. Over three seasons, Burke made sporadic appearances tallying 20 overall.
It was in January 2019 that Burke found his way to his native Scotland, playing for Celtic on loan from West Bromwich Albion. For the latter half of the 2018 - 2019 season Burke donned the green and white hoops, making 14 appearances in the Premiership, and impressively scoring four goals. This highlighted his potential as a threat in the final third.
Despite his surge in form with Celtic, Burke was shuttled off to Alaves in Spain's LaLiga for a loan spell in 2019 before a full transfer to Sheffield United in England's Championship in September 2020. His performance oscillated between Sheffield United and a loan period at Millwall, with 45 appearances and five goals across three seasons.
In a rather surprising move, Burke transferred to Werder Bremen in Germany's Bundesliga in July 2022. Up to the current 2024 - 2025 season, he's made 38 appearances and scored seven goals. His time at Werder Bremen hasn't been without interruption, though. Burke had two separate loan periods at Millwall and Birmingham City in England from 2022 to 2024, where he made an impressive 52 appearances and scored four goals.
Now, Burke finds himself back, stationed on the right wing at Werder Bremen, where the 2024 - 2025 season has seen him play 22 games and score five goals. His career may have been dotted with many a change of scenery, yet his grip on the beautiful game remains as firm as ever. From Scottish soil to German turf, with several English sojourns in between, Oliver Burke has exemplified adaptability and an unwavering drive.
