Norwegian international Antonio Nusa has opened up about the difficult early stages of his career at Club Brugge KV, revealing that he felt isolated and bullied after arriving in Belgium as a teenager from Stabæk Fotball.
The 21-year-old RB Leipzig playmaker made the revelations in his newly released book Alt starter med en drøm (“Everything starts with a dream”), where he describes the emotional struggles he faced after moving abroad at a young age.
Nusa explained that the dressing room environment at Club Brugge became extremely difficult, with teammates allegedly speaking negatively about him in languages he did not understand.
He recalled feeling alone inside the dressing room, claiming there were moments when teammates would stare at him while speaking about him behind his back rather than communicating directly with him.
The Norwegian international admitted that the situation deeply affected both his confidence and performances on the pitch.
According to Nusa, adapting to life in Belgium was particularly challenging due to the language barrier and the absence of fellow Norwegians around him. He stated that many players viewed him negatively because he was only 16 years old and competing for places ahead of older teammates.
🇳🇴⭐️ When Antonio Nusa did this against Italy… today, he turns 21! 😍 pic.twitter.com/5otMaGA8pg
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) April 17, 2026
The attacking midfielder described the experience as a vicious circle, explaining that poor performances increased tensions around him, which in turn further damaged his confidence and well-being.
At one stage, the situation became so overwhelming that Nusa even considered stepping away from international football at the youth level. He revealed that he argued with the Norwegian Football Association because he no longer wanted to attend Under-17 national team camps and simply wanted to return home.
Despite the difficult beginning, Nusa has since rebuilt both his confidence and career trajectory.
The highly rated winger enjoyed a strong season with RB Leipzig, playing an important role as the German side secured a third-place finish in the Bundesliga. Across the campaign, Nusa made 31 league appearances and accumulated more than 2,000 minutes, contributing goals, assists and pace in attack both as a starter and from the bench.
With the Norwegian national football team preparing to participate in their first FIFA World Cup of the millennium, Nusa is widely expected to be one of the key figures for the Scandinavian side on football’s biggest stage.
