Abubeker Nasir weighs Ethiopia return after injury-hit Mamelodi Sundowns spell

Ethiopian striker Abubeker Nasir is back in his home country and considering a return to Ethiopian football after a difficult spell at Mamelodi Sundowns, during which injuries severely restricted his opportunities.

Nasir was regarded as one of the leading stars in Ethiopian football before moving to South Africa. However, his time with Sundowns and subsequent loan clubs has been shaped largely by fitness problems rather than regular first-team football.

The 26-year-old initially signed for The Brazilians in January 2022. He immediately spent six months on loan at Ethiopian Coffee before moving to Sundowns’ Chloorkop base in July of that year.

The transfer was described at the time by Ethiopian Coffee’s then president, Fekade Mamo, as the biggest in the club’s history.

Nasir found it difficult to establish himself at Sundowns. He made only 17 appearances for the club and scored four goals, with his most productive period coming during the 2022/23 season.

That campaign accounted for all four of his Sundowns goals, scored in 14 matches. His final appearance for the club came in December 2023, when he played 45 minutes against Cape Town Spurs.

Since then, attempts to revive his career through loan moves have brought little progress. Nasir joined SuperSport United, but he was deregistered halfway through the 2024/25 season.

Last season, he moved to University of Pretoria on loan. That spell was also disrupted by injury, continuing a frustrating pattern that has limited his playing time since his arrival in South Africa.

Nasir is now weighing up the possibility of returning to Ethiopia as he looks for a fresh start and a route back to regular football. Contacts in Addis Ababa indicate that Ethiopian Coffee is the most likely destination if he decides to return.

Any move is expected to depend on Nasir recovering from the effects of the injury problems he has experienced over the past two years. His immediate priority is to regain full fitness before deciding the next stage of his career.

His potential return to Ethiopian Coffee would represent a significant change in direction for a player who arrived at Sundowns with a strong reputation at home but has been unable to build momentum in South Africa.

At Sundowns, Nasir’s opportunities were limited despite the club’s status as one of the leading sides in the country. The striker’s last competitive involvement for the club was more than two years ago, and his later loan spells at SuperSport United and University of Pretoria failed to provide the consistent run of matches required to rebuild his form.

A return to Ethiopian football could give Nasir the chance to play regularly again and attempt to rediscover the form that made him a prominent figure before his move abroad.