Dealing with cultural differences is not an easy task. We all know that the NFL is largely dominated by Americans. Now imagine someone of mixed race coming in and managing to make a name for themselves. That’s quite an achievement, right? Andrei Iosivasthe Bengals’ WR is turning heads this season. A black belt in Taekwondo, Andrei’s first love has always been football. But his NFL journey wasn’t a walk in the park. He had to cross oceans to make his dream of playing in the NFL come true.

Andrei made his NFL debut in 2023 with the Cincinnati Bengals. You all might know about his performance and stats, but let’s take a look at his roots, ethnicity and nationality before taking a look at him in the upcoming game against the Cowboys.

Where is Andrei Iosivas from?

Born in the Japanese capital Tokyo to a Romanian father, Mihai Iosivasand a Filipino mother, EvelynAndrei has Romanian-Filipino-American roots. You may be wondering where his American roots come from. Well, he was born in Tokyo, but his parents moved to Honolulu when he was 4 years old. The city is known for its beautiful beaches and harbors and has many people from Asian and Pacific cultures. Now you can probably tell where his love for football began.

“Football is his first love. “He just wanted to run track and field to get faster when he started playing football,” his father recalled. After graduating from high school, Andrei Iosivas moved to New Jersey after receiving an offer from Princeton University. Wow! As an Ivy League graduate, this is a big challenge. He began playing for the Princeton Tigers and his teammates and coaches found it difficult to pronounce his last name. “When I was a freshman, people actually called me Yoshi for two weeks. And I thought, don’t call me that. I wanted people to call me Andrei,” recalled the Bengals WR when talking about his football days at Princeton.

The struggle of teaching people how to pronounce your name is so real. Because he was born in Tokyo, the 25-year-old did not receive US citizenship until he was 17. Andrei’s mother speaks three languages, both of his parents speak Japanese fluently. Surprisingly, the WR had no interest in learning languages; For him it was all about football.

What religion is Andrei Iosivas?

Religion is something very personal. Although Andrei Iosivas was born a Christian, he has never really spoken about his religious beliefs. But you can always talk to him about food. The Bengals WR is a big foodie. He loves Japanese food, hot puff Cheetos, and watermelon. The 25-year-old even has a highlight for Cheetos on his Instagram profile. Well, you can’t blame him, who doesn’t love Cheetos? When he’s not on the field, Andrei likes to watch The office with his long-time girlfriend Logan Harlock. The two met during their time at Princeton and have been together ever since.

Although it is only his second season with the Bengals, he has developed a strong bond with his fellow WR teammate Yes’Marr Chase. They have their own thing called ‘bird call’ interact with each other on the field. We love the friendships in the NFL, and they always lighten up tense situations like this.

The Princeton alum has put up solid numbers on the board so far. This season (2024) he has accumulated 309 yards and scored five touchdowns. He is currently averaging 13.4 yards per catch. Hopefully he will be able to put up more impressive stats in the upcoming games.