By Tayo Ogunseye
Back-to-back winner of the Ibercup Estoril cup, Moonlock Football Academy, has presented its trophy to the Portuguese Ambassador to Nigeria, Paulo Martins dos Santos, in Abuja as a gesture of appreciation for his support of the team’s participation after it’s historic performance in the prestigious youth tournament.
The academy won the Under-18 category for the first time last year June in 2025 before successfully defending the title on July 5.
It created a record as first team ever in the history of the tournament to defend the title, further establishing its credentials as one of the country’s emerging youth development programmes.
Moonlock FA co-owner, Datti Umar Yusuf, made the presentation during a courtesy visit to the ambassador, following the academy’s back-to-back success at the Ibercup Estoril in Portugal.
The Ibercup Estoril is an international youth football tournament held annually in Cascais, Portugal. The competition attracts more than 400 teams from across the world, including youth sides affiliated with renowned clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Benfica and Sporting CP.
Teams from Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States also participate in various age-grade categories, making the tournament an important platform for talent discovery and development.
Five players including Nuno Mendez in Paris Saint Germain (PSG) who won the Uefa Champions League and Manchester City’s duo of Bernardo Silva and Ruben Diaz are some of the top stars who featured as youngsters at the tournament.
Moonlock FA, representing Nigeria, has continued to record impressive performances at the competition, which has become an important part of its youth development strategy and a pathway for exposing young Nigerian players to international competition.
During the visit, Yusuf acknowledged the role played by Ambassador dos Santos and the Portuguese Embassy in facilitating the team’s participation in the tournament.
“It is with great honour that we are visiting Your Excellency, Paulo Martins dos Santos, the Ambassador of the Portuguese Republic to Nigeria, for your wonderful support to us in our journey to develop the human capacity of our youths,” Yusuf said.
“We have received immense encouragement, and you have always stepped in to help us in our vision to give our young talents the best of exposure through competitions like the Ibercup Estoril.
“As our way of appreciating you and the entire staff of the Portuguese Embassy, we are presenting this trophy, which we won back-to-back, as a sign of solidarity for the good work and your contribution to human development through sports.”
Receiving the gold-and-silver trophy, Ambassador dos Santos congratulated Moonlock FA on its achievement and commended the academy for its commitment to developing young football talents.
He also pledged to continue providing the necessary support whenever opportunities arise for collaborative efforts aimed at creating a pathway for the development and growth of the players.
