Nur Muhammad Asis becomes first Singaporean to join a Portuguese top flight football club

SINGAPORE – Like many boys his age, Nur Muhammad Asis, grew up idolising football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, even incorporating the Portuguese star’s name in his personal e-mail.

The Lion City Sailors central midfielder has since taken his admiration a step further by following in Ronaldo’s footsteps. The 20-year-old has moved to Portugal after securing a one-year loan to Primeira Liga side Estrela da Amadora, his Singapore Premier League (SPL) side announced on July 31.

The deal makes Asis the first Singaporean to sign a professional contract with a top-flight club in Portugal.

Near the end of the 2023 season, the Sailors had sent Asis to attend a series of trials in Portugal.

There, he caught the eye of local scouts, who proposed him to Estrela. A loan move was arranged after talks between the two clubs.

Asis, who is in Portugal preparing for the upcoming season, which starts on Aug 9, said it was “an honour to now be playing in the same country where Ronaldo honed his skills”, and added: “Playing overseas, especially in Europe, has been a dream of mine since I was young.

“The opportunity to play abroad represents not just professional advancement, but also personal growth and a chance to prove myself to the world.”

Based in Amadora, north-west of Lisbon – where Ronaldo made his first steps in football, Estrela finished 14th in the 18-team league last season.

As part of the loan, which runs till June 30, 2025, Asis will train and play with Estrela’s B Team, while also turning out for the club’s Under-23 side. He will also be closely monitored by senior team coaches.

Estrela’s B Team play in the fourth-tier Campeonato de Portugal, while their Under-23s compete in the Liga Revelacao U-23, a top-level national league which they won in the 2022-23 season, ahead of teams such as Benfica and Sporting Lisbon.

The previous iteration of the club has produced several top footballers such as former Everton and Liverpool defender Abel Xavier, former Manchester United winger Bebe and current Manchester City star Ruben Dias.

Asis, who captains the Sailors’ Under-21 side, has been highly touted at youth level due to his technical ability and composure on the ball.

He joined the Sailors’ Elite Academy in 2020 and in the following year, he became part of the first cohort of players under the Lion City Sailors Early Enlistment Bond, which offers selected academy trainees the opportunity to pursue early enlistment for national service after completing their secondary education.

This paved the way for Asis to become the first player from the club’s youth setup to sign a professional contract with the Sailors following his NS completion in 2023.

He said: “Finishing NS earlier was important as it ensures that I’m clear of the two-year obligation by the age of around 19, that gives me a longer runway to build a professional football career and the ease of mind that I can pursue my dreams earlier than other young players in Singapore.”

Since his promotion to the first team, Asis has made five SPL appearances, with his latest coming in a 6-0 win over the Young Lions on July 22, where he got an assist.