DreamStar Ladies Celebrate Selection of Two Players for LALIGA, EA SPORTS Programme in Spain

Nigeria women’s football academy side DreamStar Ladies have expressed excitement following the selection of two of their young stars, Sanni Aishat and Sofiat Razaq, for the prestigious LALIGA and EA SPORTS Football Development Programme in Madrid, Spain.

The talented duo earned their places after impressing at the recently concluded LALIGA EA NEXT Gen Draft in Nigeria — a grassroots football initiative jointly organised by LALIGA and EA SPORTS in partnership with Legacy Sports, the Nationwide League One (NLO), and the Lagos State Football Association.

The programme is designed to discover and develop emerging football talents across five countries: Nigeria, Morocco, Mexico, China and Japan.

From Nigeria, only a select number of players were chosen for the international development experience, including four boys and three girls, with DreamStar Ladies producing two of the female representatives.

According to the club, the achievement highlights the strength of its developmental system and commitment to producing elite young talents capable of competing at the highest level.

“We are proud to announce that our girls, Sanni Aishat and Sofiat Razaq, have been selected to represent Nigeria at the LALIGA and EA SPORTS Football Development Program in Madrid, Spain,” the club said in a statement.

DreamStar Ladies also confirmed that both players are currently in Spain, where they are training, competing and gaining exposure within elite football development environments alongside top young talents from different countries.

The programme provides participants with opportunities to showcase their abilities before football clubs, academies and international scouts monitoring the next generation of football stars.

The club further explained that the selection process was highly competitive, with players assessed on technical ability, tactical awareness, physical qualities, attitude and long-term potential.

“For our girls to come through that process and be chosen to represent Nigeria on a global stage tells everything we are building at Dream Star Ladies FC,” the statement added.

The development represents another major boost for grassroots women’s football in Nigeria and underlines the growing opportunities available to young female footballers through international collaborations and structured talent development programmes.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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