Spaniard on ‘amazing’ experience at Middlesbrough and why Birmingham City spell failed

Emilio Nsue spent almost four years in English football with Middlesbrough and Birmingham City, and remembers the experience very differently at each club.

Middlesbrough gave him Wembley, promotion and Premier League football. Birmingham City came at a point when life in England itself was starting to become difficult.

Now retired, Nsue has spoken to Spanish newspaper Ultima Hora about his career. That included a detailed look back at his time in England.

Middlesbrough gave Nsue his Premier League chance

He first arrived in 2014, leaving Mallorca for Middlesbrough. Aitor Karanka was a big reason why.

“It was amazing. Aitor Karanka called me and I didn’t think twice,” Nsue said. “Boro made a very big financial effort. I learned English and had an experience in a different country with incredible teammates like Victor Valdes, Adama Traore and Negredo.”

His first season at Middlesbrough took him all the way to Wembley. Boro reached the Championship play-off final in 2015, although Norwich City beat them 2-0.

That disappointment didn’t last too long. Karanka’s side finished second the following season and secured automatic promotion to the Premier League.

“The first year we played the play-off final at Wembley and in the second we went up with Stuani,” Nsue explained. “The Premier League is one of the best experiences of my career.”

Nsue therefore got what he had moved to England for. He played in the Premier League before his Middlesbrough spell ended in January 2017. Birmingham City then signed him and kept him in the country.

Birmingham City and the decision to leave England

Nsue’s Birmingham experience didn’t bring the same longevity. He spent around a year with the Blues before moving to Cyprus, and his explanation now has little to do with what happened on the pitch.

“Then Birmingham came, which was a one-year spell,” he said. “I was there for a year, but some personal issues came up. Spending so long in England with the rain and cold, without being able to live the life I was used to, made me decide on somewhere very similar to the islands.”

After almost four years in the country, Nsue simply wanted something different. That led him to APOEL in Cyprus in January 2018. The climate and lifestyle were much closer to what he knew from Mallorca.

It brought his time at Birmingham to a relatively quick end, but also closed the whole English chapter of his career.