Super Eagles forward Sadiq Umar has made a bold move by securing a football club in Nigeria, becoming the first active player to own a club

The former Nigeria U23 spent a significant part of his holidays in the country mingling with his childhood friends and teammates, including Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa.

Football fans have reacted positively to the acquisition of a local club by the former AS Roma forward…

Sadiq Umar is preparing for life after football, as he acquired a local football club in Nigeria.

The Olympic bronze medallist partnered with a current House of Representatives member to seal the move

The 28-year-old, who joined Valencia on loan from Real Sociedad in January 2025, was named La Liga Goal of the Month winner for March.

Umar buys football club
Super Eagles star Sadiq Umar, in partnership with a House of Representatives member (Kaduna North), Bello El-Rufai, has officially taken over the leadership of Ranchers Bees.

According to Punch, Umar revealed that the move aims to revive the old memories of the club for the people of Northern Nigeria.

The former Almería star explained that he grew up watching the team, which has produced numerous stars who have represented Nigeria at various continental and international competitions.

Umar said: “I and my current partner, Honourable Bello El-Rufai have a big dream of returning the club to it’s past glory days. “I grew up watching Ranchers Bees of Kaduna, a club that produced countless players, including Super Eagles legend Daniel Amokachi.”

Owners of Ranchers Bees have named former AS Roma defender, Nura Abdullahi, as their president. According to Sports Intel, Ranchers Bees will compete in the 2025/26 Nigeria National League (NNL), with the mandate of qualifying for the Nigeria Premier Football League.

Umar said the former defender has been given full operation and long-term strategy to revive the club. The Super Eagles star said: “The team is set to compete in the Nigeria National League (NNL) in the upcoming season. “Our target is to secure promotion to the NPFL. I’m elated by the feedback from Rancher Bees supporters and the people of Kaduna.”

Fans react
@Strydizzle said: “Finally, Ranchers Bees that I grew up knowing will be back 🕺🏿🕺🏿🕺🏿🕺🏿🕺🏿.”

@ahmadatmos wrote: “Beautiful. I want all Nigerian football clubs to be fully privatized. The government should let go and you’ll see how quickly things change.”

@oil_shaeikh added: “I’m so happy about this acquisition, hopefully your leadership and passion of Sadık will give Arewa talents wasting away the necessary platform to shine in both the national league, national team and international competitions.” “Allah ya taimaka.”

@Abubakar_Mhmmad wrote: “This is truly a welcome development, we’ve been yearning for something of this magnitude. Kudos to the both of you and in Ranchers Bees 🐝 we’ve finally find something to hold onto and be proud of. Go #Ranchers.”

In preparation for the upcoming football season worldwide, Ventolite Marketing International has published the 17th edition of Sports Market International (SMI), the sole sports magazine in Nigeria.

Published quarterly, Sports Market International has established a noteworthy presence within the football media landscape, extending its reach to four African nations, namely Cameroon, South Africa, Ghana, and the Republic of Benin.

The magazine’s focused approach has contributed to its acceptance in these regions. Renowned for its innovative and insightful content, the magazine has featured elite global athletes, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Emmanuel Emenike, Victor Moses, Stephen Kesh, Victor Osimhen, Kylian Mbappe, Anthony Joshua, and Ademola Lookman.

The 17th edition includes a highlight of the top 100 footballers globally across various leagues, showcasing prominent players. Additionally, it covers Chelsea Football Club, recognized as a recent history-maker for their achievements in winning all UEFA club competitions, including the FIFA World Club Cup. The Super Falcons of Nigeria also garner attention after their dramatic victory against the host nation, Morocco, securing the 10th title at the Africa Women Championship.

Furthermore, the magazine’s scope extends to an in-depth analysis of the Nigeria Premier League, wherein football experts evaluate the league’s development and the international standard players it has produced over the years.

Through its comprehensive coverage, Sports Market International continues to engage football enthusiasts with thorough narratives and analytical pieces.

At a press conference held in Lagos, Sam Okata, the Business Development Manager of Ventolite Marketing International, stated, “As the football season commences with enthusiasm in many European countries, we remain committed to providing high-quality publications as we distribute our latest edition into the market.

Our objective is to establish ourselves as a leading sports marketing magazine on the continent. Numerous vendors have suggested that we transition to a weekly publication; however, we are strategically expanding to ensure market stability. We have successfully disseminated this edition in alignment with the resumption of the European Leagues.”

Former Manchester City right-back Micah Richards and ex-Barcelona striker Gary Lineker were left stunned by Victor Osimhen’s decision to join Galatasaray on a four-year deal, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles star spent the 2024/2025 season on loan with the Turkish Super Lig side, as Napoli’s €150m asking fee wasn’t matched by any club despite the striker’s insistence on leaving Naples.

The 26-year-old enjoyed his loan spell with the Turkish champions last season, scoring 37 goals and providing seven assists in 41 games.

Many expected Galatasaray to be Osimhen’s stepping-stone club that would open the path to the English Premier League, but it came as a surprise to see one of the best strikers in Europe moving to a club outside the top five leagues.

“Osimhen signed a deal for four years at Galatasaray in Turkey. I can’t believe it,” Micah Richards said on The Rest is Football podcast.

“A top player like that should be playing. Galatasaray is a massive club but in terms of European football he could do better than that, in my opinion.

‘He’d be top a three No.9 in the Premier League. Fact. Joao Pedro is unbelievable, but you cannot say he’s better than Osimhen. Not a chance,” the CBS Sports Golazo pundit continued.

Lineker‘s thoughts on Osimhen‘s Galatasaray move
The former England striker was also left in awe by the striker’s decision to head to Turkey in the prime of his career, but had also heard a theory as to why there wasn’t much interest from top clubs in the player this summer, as there had been in the past.

“I saw Osimhen play a couple of times against Leicester when they were in the Europa League,’ the former Leicester City forward added.

“He was so impressive and I’ve followed his career because of that. He was absolutely brilliant for Napoli. I mean, he was sensational.

“I do hear on the grapevine that a reason one or two of the clubs are a little bit nervous is that he sometimes goes missing for a few days. So, there’s apparently some kind of slight question mark as to his character in that sense,” Lineker concluded.

Former Napoli coach Francesco Calzona, recently mentioned that Osimhen doesn’t take kindly to criticism and urged the Nigerian forward to do better, as that’s his only flaw.

Osimhen is Galatasaray’s most expensive recruit in the club’s history, and he’ll be spending the next four years at RAMS Park creating memories with the Cim Bom Aslan