By Wale Mustapha
Veteran midfielder Ayobami Junior is on the verge of rejoining Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), marking what would be his third stint with the Ibadan-based team.
Sources close to the player confirmed that Junior, fondly known as “Agba,” has reached an agreement in principle with the Oluyole Warriors ahead of the 2025/26 NPFL season.
Junior last featured for Shooting Stars during the 2023/24 campaign before moving abroad to join Tanzanian Premier League side Tabora FC.
He has since returned to Nigeria and is expected to finalize terms with his former club in the coming days.
Regarded as one of the more experienced and technically gifted midfielders in the NPFL, Junior has also had spells with Kwara United and Kano Pillars.
His return is seen as a major boost for Shooting Stars as they look to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
