22-year-old Ovie Richard currently lives in Piteå.
It was never thought that this was exactly where he would be, but the war in Ukraine forced him to flee.
He left his home in Abuja, Nigeria last summer to try to fulfill his dream of becoming a football professional.
He ended up in Ukraine and first in Lviv before after a while he would get the chance for his professional contract in Chernivtsi in southwestern Ukraine.
Just then, Russia invaded Ukraine.
- When the plane alarm rang, we had two or three minutes to go down to the shelter, I felt a great fear, says Ovie Richard.
Fled to Piteå
While his teammates went home to defend their cities, Ovie tried to escape the country.
He was contacted by Piteå IF's back star Faith Ikidi Michael who grew up in the same place as Ovie and she offered that he could live at her home.
For three days, Ovie traveled by train and bus from Ukraine via Hungary and then on up to Sweden and Piteå.
Once in safety, he was reached by the news that one of his teammates had died in the war.
- We used to watch and play matches together in Lviv and he needed to go back to defend his city Kyiv and where he was killed, says Richard.
Storfors AIK
Faith Ikidis and her husband helped Ovie with the contact with the division-2 club Storfors.
There he was received with open arms and can once again play football.
- It received me like a brother, they made me feel at home.
Now I have applied for a residence permit here because I want to stay, I love everything here.
I feel safe and I feel free, says Richard.
Although he feels safe and happy with his new life in Piteå, he still has nightmares from the war in Ukraine.
But he tries to think positively and is grateful that he is in Sweden and can play football again.
How is the game here in Sweden, difficult to adapt?
- If I am to be honest with you, football here in Sweden is tough, really tough.
It is aggressive, you have to be fast and make decisions quickly so it is really challenging, says Richard.