Nur Muhammad Asis has become the first Singaporean to sign professional terms with a Portuguese top-flight club after moving from Lion City Sailors to Primeira Liga outfit Estrela da Amadora.
The initial one-year loan deal — which will run through to June 2025 — was announced on Wednesday and will primarily see Asis feature for both Estrela’s B and Under-23 sides, although it was said that he would be closely monitored by the senior team.
The 20-year-old came through the ranks of the Sailors after joining their academy in 2020 and has since made five Singapore Premier League appearances, while regularly featuring in the match-day squad of a star-studded team that were champions back in 2021.
Asis will be exposed to a creditable level of football even if he does not immediately break into Estrela’s first team, with the reserves playing fourth-tier football while the U-23s were champions of the top-level national youth league in the 2022-23 season.
It was the Sailors who sent him on a series of trials in Portugal at the end of last year, which eventually led to negotiations with Estrela after he was said to have caught the eye of several local scouts.
“That is what I’ve been aiming for since I started kicking a ball, and it still feels surreal to be at a top Portuguese club,” said Asis.
“I’m really grateful to everyone who made this move possible, especially my coaches at the Sailors academy. They’ve made me a better player and are the reason I’m able to make this next step in my career.
“I’m really excited to wear the Estrela shirt and can’t wait to get started with the team.”
Sailors technical director Luka Lalić, who first crossed paths with Asis when he coached the latter as a seven-year-old, has backed his protégé to make an impact in Europe.
Even when he was just seven or eight years old, he would often talk about his dream of playing in Europe one day,” Lalić recalled.
“After overcoming multiple challenges, including the passing of his father earlier this year, he’s now ready to showcase his talents on a larger stage.
“This opportunity comes as no surprise. His quality has always been clear. He just needs the right environment to advance his development, and Estrela is certainly an excellent place for that.”
Indeed, Estrela are no strangers to nurturing promising talent that have since gone on to enjoy prominent careers, with their academy graduates including current Manchester City star Rúben Dias, ex-Manchester United winger Bebé and Portugal icon Abel Xavier, who played for both Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool in the Premier League.
“Winning the Liga Revelação U-23 last year is a testament to the strength of our youth development programme, which is dedicated to investing in young international talents like Asis,” said Estrela sporting director José Faria.
“I’m extremely confident that Estrela provides the most conducive environment for a young talent from Singapore to succeed, and we look forward to contributing to his development here.
“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.”
While Asis is yet to win his first senior cap for Singapore, he has featured at the highest age-group level having been part of the side that competed in the qualifiers for the most recent edition of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
