Signing five Nigerian players at once to join the Portugal Sporting Clube de Esmoriz (SC Esmoriz) just six months after establishing the Tonic FC club is not the typical grass-to-grace story we hear often. However, doing great things in the least conventional ways has been in the club’s blood since its inception.
Aside from the astonishing fact that a fintech company, Cardtonic, established the club, it has continued to make significant waves in the Nigerian football community, from discovering and nurturing young football talents in Nigeria to announcing that five of the club’s players will be travelling to Europe to kickstart their professional football careers.
One thing has remained consistent in the club’s mantra: young Nigerian football talents can climb their way to the top of their careers without having to depend on the ladder of social network connections or luck.
It’s not surprising that this mantra has become a reality for Isa Riliwan, Oyetola Ayomide, Okiye Gideon, Adebowale Sheriff, and Onuoha Chidiebere. Their hard work, doggedness, and collective effort of a community that believes in them are already paying off as they script their career success story, make headlines, and water the hope of every young Nigerian talent building their football career from the grassroots.
When Talents and Determination Meet Opportunity for 5 Rising Players
Selecting not just one but five players from the same team to join the SC Esmoriz in Portugal speaks volumes about what happens when talent and determination meet the right opportunities. Just like Dapo Ajibade, the general overseer of the team, mentioned, ‘… they have been prepared, selected, and have proven themselves that they are ready for the task ahead.’
These five fast-rising Tonic FC players have been actively building up their skills, believing that one day their hard work would pay off. This came sooner than they expected, when they were finally noticed and selected on September 20, 2025.
The scouting representatives from SC Esmoriz visited the Nigerian football space to identify promising players, and their outstanding performance, technical ability, and growth potential stood out among several other players.
Signing a contract with SC Esmoriz means better and structured training for the selected players, an opportunity to participate in tougher competitions to hone their skills, and a chance to enter the global stage and claim the spotlight.
For the other players in Tonic FC, it simply reminds them that ‘if these can, then they can too.’ For the Tonic FC team, it is reiterating the fact that Nigerian players are indeed raw gold. All they need is proper refining through structured learning, training, and the right visibility for them to reach the spotlight.
The Bigger Goal in Sight for Tonic FC
While this is a huge milestone for Tonic FC and the Nigerian football community at large, it is just a stepping stone to the team’s broader goal for every young Nigerian football talent.
This goal is simple for Tonic FC: scout young Nigerian talents, nurture them, and let them compete locally while also paving the way for them to reach the global stage, showcase their skills, and attract the right opportunities from different parts of the world.
The Tonic FC signing five of its players at once to join SC Ezmoriz already shows that this vision is not just a mere dream but a gradual reality that is bridging the gap between young Nigerian football talents and professional opportunities available worldwide.
This grassroots program is providing proper training, support, and visibility for young Nigerian talents so that not just five but many other young Nigerian talents honing their skills from the ground up will gain entrance into the global stage and showcase their skills.
Closing Thoughts
The career journey from Ikorodu to Portugal for the five Tonic FC players is simply a case of opportunity meeting preparation, unlike the normal belief that young Nigerian football talents need strong connections and luck.
For more Nigerian football talents to earn more opportunities like this and dominate the football spotlight worldwide, appropriate training and support should be provided for the youth, just as Dapo Ajibade has said, ‘…the future of any great country in football is in the youth.’
