MOVING TO Iceland is not exactly a common route for Irish footballers.

Ex-Ireland international Marc Wilson had spells with Þróttur Vogum and ÍBV in the early 2020s, but he is the exception rather than the rule.

However, Jordan Adeyemo is about to step into relatively unknown territory.

Until now, the 24-year-old has only played football in Ireland.

He started at local club Crumlin United and had stints with St Joseph’s Boys and Peamount.

His teammates at schoolboy level included notable future stars such as Brandon Kavanagh, Glen McAuley, Aaron Bolger, Ryan Burke, Joe Redmond and Promise Omochere.

He began his League of Ireland career with Shelbourne, linking up with their U17s, and admits the last couple of years have been “up and down for me”.

A move to Drogheda saw him graduate to the first team and establish himself in senior football.

After four goals in 22 Premier Division appearances for the Drogs in 2021, he dropped down to the First Division to sign for Galway as he wanted “more consistent game time”.

The move to John Caulfield’s side “didn’t quite work out” though a spell with Longford in the second half of the campaign proved more fruitful as he finished the season with eight goals in 27 appearances.

2023 was disappointing — he scored twice in 23 games during a disrupted campaign.

He spent the first half of the season at Wexford before re-signing with Longford but it was a frustrating stop-start year that never really got going.

At the beginning of 2024, Adeyemo took time to “weigh up my options” before eventually opting for a third spell at Longford in April, with the season already well underway.

He cites the decision to join last year as a “no-brainer” after the club had appointed a new manager, Wayne Groves, who had previously worked with Adeyemo at Shelbourne.

The striker kicked on from there. Though it was a forgettable season for the club — they finished second from bottom — individually, Adeyemo had his best campaign yet.

With 10 goals from 28 appearances, only four players were more prolific in the First Division last year.

Yet no one could have predicted his next move.

Adeyemo is linking up with the Icelandic second-division side, Aegir.

He was not short of interest. He had offers from First Division clubs, one in Northern Ireland and another abroad.

But he felt like Aegir “were the ones that really wanted me”.

Since January of last year, they have been monitoring his performances on WyScout and Adeyemo first learned of their interest last August.

A potential summer move never materialised but Aegir maintained their interested in the player.

The switch was not a straightforward decision. In December, Adeyemo travelled over to view the facilities, meeting the manager, chairman and some players, before agreeing on the transfer.

“I didn’t want to go blindly if that makes sense,” he tells The 42. “I wanted to go see what I was getting myself into.”

It is nonetheless a “big step” for someone who has largely operated in the primarily part-time environment of First Division.

The second tier in Iceland is similar to Ireland, as it incorporates a mixture of professional and semi-professional clubs.

Adeyemo is not intimated in any way by the new challenge.

“These are the type of opportunities anyone would love to take,” he says.

“A lot of people, young lads would kill to play men’s football.”

Adeyemo believes he can play at an even higher level and describes the move as “a stepping stone”.

“It’s not a case of where I want to go somewhere and just be comfortable,” he adds. “I want to go there and try to progress and play at the highest level possible.”

While his career in the League of Ireland was not without setbacks, Adeyemo believes his grounding there has been invaluable.

“It’s moulded me a lot into the player, person and man I am today. Football is not just football to me. I think football teaches you a lot about life.”

He is grateful to Longford for reviving his career after it had stagnated elsewhere and providing him with an opportunity to “show people what I’m capable of”.

Leaving Ireland with a creditable tally of 33 goals in 132 appearances, Adeyemo prefers not to reflect on his time in football and is determined to live in the moment.

He concludes: “I just take [football] as life, essentially, things happen.

“Football is up and down. I don’t think you always enjoy football.

“You’re always supposed to enjoy football. You’re always supposed to be happy, you’re always supposed to be playing, and everything is going your way.

“Again, I just reflect it to life. That’s the way football is. You take it as it goes. For me, I don’t really categorize anything as being high or low.

“Of course, there are outlying things that happen. Maybe you win a league or get that big move in your career. But essentially, everything is the same.

“Wherever you go, you’re starting again. You’re keeping the same standards, you’re keeping the same work ethic, you’re keeping the same drive. You can’t take your foot off the pedal.”