From Sparta to Champions League: Xander Severina’s unexpected journey

In the warm evening sun of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, 25‑year‑old Xander Severina explains how, after being rejected by Sparta at seventeen, he is now ready to play against world‑top clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Arsenal in the Champions League.

An unexpected turn from ADO Den Haag to Azerbaijan

Three years ago Severina still played for ADO Den Haag in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, after having started two years at the Hague amateur club Quick. He describes that period as “the billion‑ball not close”.

After a short stint at Casa Pia in Portugal, he signed last summer with Sabah FC, a club that is only nine years old and recently became champion of Azerbaijan.

With Sabah FC he endured eight qualifying‑round matches and reached the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history, a feat he summed up with: “It can’t get any better.”

Severina recalls the moment at Sparta: “At that moment I didn’t know whether I even wanted to continue with football.” It was a hard lesson after eight years in the youth academy.

His current role as a winger from Rijswijk now puts him on the same pitches as Lamine Yamal, Martin Ødegaard, Raphinha and Kevin De Bruyne.

Dave Aalbers, journalist at VI, reports that Severina's story is an example of how the Champions League anthem sometimes seemed far away, but eventually came within reach.