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Lion City Sailors’ Nur Muhammad Asis has secured an initial one-year loan to Portuguese Primeira Liga side C.F. Estrela da Amadora, becoming the first Singaporean in history to sign a professional football contract with a top-flight club in Portugal.
Based in Amadora, northwest of Lisbon, Estrela finished 14th in the 18-team Primeira Liga last season, in their first campaign back in the Portuguese top-flight. The previous iteration of the club helped develop several notable Portuguese players, past and present, including Abel Xavier – who famously turned out for Everton and Liverpool, former FC Porto defender Jorge Andrade, ex-Manchester United winger Bebé, and current Manchester City star Rúben Dias.
The young LCS midfielder, made his professional debut for the club back in July 2023, coming on as a substitute against Tanjong Pagar United and most recently provided his first assist in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) during their 6-0 win over Young Lions.
Asis’ talent and potential were evident since young, drawing attention from top European clubs like Feyenoord and Galatasaray back in 2016 when he was just 12 years old.
The 20-year old’s progress accelerated after joining the Sailors’ Elite Academy in 2020, becoming part of the first cohort of players under the Lion City Sailors Early Enlistment Bond the following year. The bond allowed him to pursue early enlistment for National Service (NS) under Singapore’s Voluntary Early Enlistment Scheme after completing his secondary education.
This provided Asis with a longer period to fully focus on pursuing a career in professional football, where he has since signed a professional contract following his NS completion, accumulating 5 SPL appearances so far.
The Under-21 captain, was was then sent by the club to attend a series of trials in Portugal towards the end of the 2023 season, where he attracted local scouts who proposed him to Estrela.
The 1-year loan deal will run till 30th June 2025 and Asis will primarily train and play with Estrela’s B Team, while also turning out for the club’s Under-23 side. The B-team plays in the fourth-tier Campeonato de Portugal, while their Under-23s compete in the Liga Revelação U-23, a top-level national league which they won in the 2022/23 season.
Estrela Sporting Director José Faria, who played a key role in the deal, said, “Asis has huge potential to achieve big things in football, so we’re happy to have him with us and we want him to work as hard as he can over here. We hope this marks the beginning of a fruitful partnership between Estrela and the Lion City Sailors.
Sailors Technical Director Luka Lalić, who coached Asis when he was just seven years old at Turf City Football Club, is confident that the 20-year-old will make a significant impact at Estrela.
“Even when he was just seven or eight years old, he would often talk about his dream of playing in Europe one day,” Lalić recounted.“Whether it was during the Gothia Cup, international matches in the Netherlands, or in Spain with the Academy, he always captivated with his play and frequently received praise and inquiries from foreign coaches.” said Lalić.
Asis is determined to give his all to secure a permanent move to a European club in the future, describing this opportunity as something that he has ‘been aiming for since (I) started kicking a ball’. He also thanked his coaches at club and chairman, Forrest Li for supporting this move.
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